Winnipeg | US Courthouses

Winnipeg is named for the Cree Indian word meaning “murky water” for the Assiniboine River and Red River.

Location: Winnipeg is located in the southeast part of the Province along the Red River at the junction of the Assiniboine River.

Judicial District: Eastern Judicial District

Courthouse – Winnipeg

Location: 408 York Avenue / Kennedy Street

Built: 1912 – 1916

Style: Classical Revival

Architect: Samuel Hooper, Victor W Horwood and John D. Atchison

Contractor: National Construction Company ( Kelly-Simpson Company Ltd. )

Description: The building faces east and is a four story limestone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the city center and has a green coloured copper dome over the southeast entrance and marble lined hallways. The building cleverly addresses its corner site using a drum and cupola. One of the main facades features a broken pediment bearing the coat of arms while the other facade has an entrance reached by a long flight of steps. The main entrance is on the corner underneath the cupola. The Great Courtroom is located on the second story, the Great Library is located on the second and third stories of the west wing and the Manitoba Court of Appeal Chamber is located on the southwest corner of the third story. An addition was added to the building on the north side in 1984. The modern building on the north side is a recent extension to the Law Courts having been constructed in 1984 and completed in April 1986. The extension has a glass front along the north and uses light coloured stone. The architect was Number 10 Architectural Group of Winnipeg and the contractor was Kraft Construction Company Ltd. The Laws Courts are connected to the Wordsworth Building on the east side by a skywalk and to the old Land Titles Building on the west side.

Note: The original architect was Samuel Hooper, who was the provincial architect from 1904 until his death in 1911. Hooper was succeeded as provincial architect by Victor W Horwood, who had been assistant provincial architect, and it is Victor W Horwood who is credited with the final plans for the building. During 1912 to 1916 there was a overcharging scandal involving the building of the Manitoba Legislative Building. The same contractor was to build both the legislature and the law courts, he was jailed and Harwood was replaced. The new provincial architect was John D. Atchison who oversaw the completion of the law courts in 1916.

See: The architect, Samuel Hooper of Winnipeg, designed courthouses in Brandon, Minnedosa, Morden and Portage la Prairie.. The architect, Victor W Horwood, designed the courthouse in St. Boniface.

Note: The cost of construction of the courthouse was $1,000,000. During construction, the subcontractors were Green and Litser ( plumbing and heating ), Dominion Equipment and Supply ( electrical ) and Dominion Bridge Company ( steel ).

History: The first courthouse was a wood structure built within the walls of Upper Fort Garry. The second courthouse was a wood structure built outside the walls of Upper Fort Garry on the present site of the Fort Garry Hotel. The third courthouse was a log building built in 1869 at 494 Main Street just south of William Avenue. The fourth courthouse was built in 1882 to 1883 on the site of the present courthouse and the remaining north section of the building having suffered fire damage in 1957 was demolished in 1966. The fifth and present courthouse was constructed in 1912 to 1916.

Manitoba Court of Appeal – Winnipeg

Description: The Manitoba Court of Appeal is housed in the Law Courts Building. The Court of Appeal Chamber is located in the southwest corner of the third story.

See: Eastern Judicial District has courthouses in Beausejour, Emerson, Gimli, St. Boniface, Selkirk and Steinbach.