The winning submission of a design competition to commemorate the Winnipeg general strike of 1919 incorporates both sides of the violent event which crippled much of the city’s services for 40 days and reverberated throughout the North American labour community, says its designer.
"We want to avoid an ideological slant," says Tom Monteyne, owner of Monteyne Architecture Works Inc.
His firm’s winning submission was selected over 13 others by the City of Winnipeg. It is a 40-foot wide by about 25-foot high "billboard" comprised of weathered steel supported on iron columns forming the numbers 1919.
The structure is partly meant to evoke a century-old steel structure that might have been made by a steel foundry of the era. But while the design takes from the past, Monteyne says its design and composition of weathered steel "is very modern."
He calls the monument the 1919 Marquee.
When completed next year the marquee will feature 21 letters that form words relevant to the strike.
"It’s almost like a mash-up — a kind of word puzzle," says Monteyne. "It allows for interpretation."
One of the words will be Vulcan, a tribute to the Vulcan Iron and Engineering Works foundry and its workers who walked off the job during the strike. Also in three-foot square letters will be the word crucible — a monument in the form of a cross and a reference to a container used to melt iron materials, explains the architect.
Holes or perforations in the giant steel billboard will form the number 1919 "to create light effects that people will notice" as the setting sun’s rays pour through the perforations.
Monteyne says his design aims to be part of "a welcoming urban space."
The billboard will be on a small plaza surrounded by theatres and the Centennial Concert Hall in the Exchange District. It is located on the site where many of the strikers, mounted police and others engaged in violent melees during the labour protest.
He says the City of Winnipeg placed "very few" design parameters on competitors, which "really allowed us to be creative."
Of the 14 submissions, which were judged by a jury of peers, Monteyne and two others were short-listed and awarded $5,000 towards design refinements and budget preparations for their designs.
Monteyne retained Milestone Project Management of Winnipeg to assist with construction and costing for the conceptual design.
The City of Winnipeg has earmarked $250,000 for the commemorative project. Work is expected to start this summer on the structure, with completion slated for next year. Construction could be incorporated into a streetscape improvement program underway by the city in its Exchange District, he says.
Monteyne adds he could play a role in the fabrication of the installation through the design firm’s independent construction arm Bobsled Projects, which was set up as a design-build entity.
"Architects are getting more involved in construction," he says.
Monteyne, whose firm does a range of project types, including single and multi-family residences, commercial and cultural buildings, calls the general strike monument "a very special kind of project."
The strike had a significant impact on the labour movement in Canada and even the U.S. At stake were wages and working conditions. About 30,000 workers walked off of their jobs and two people died in the Winnipeg protests.
"It was at a time of social upheaval," he adds.
Monteyne Architecture Works Inc. won a design competition hosted by the City of Winnipeg commemorating the Winnipeg general strike of 1919. The design is a 40-foot wide by about 25-foot high “billboard” comprised of weathered steel supported on iron columns forming the numbers 1919.
Photo: Monteyne Architecture Works Inc."
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