Exchange District in Winnipeg, Manitoba — Canada’s Prairie Region (North America)
Union Tower
1912-1913
— Historic Winnipeg —
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 16, 2022
1. Union Tower Marker
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1912.
Location. 49° 53.788′ N, 97° 8.303′ W. Marker is in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is in the Exchange District. Marker is at the intersection of Main Street (Manitoba Route 52) and Lombard Avenue, on the right when traveling north on Main Street. Marker is mounted at eye-level on the southwest corner of the subject building, just to the right of the southwest corner entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 191 Lombard Avenue, Winnipeg MB R3B 0X1, Canada. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Northern Light Lodge (here, next to this marker); The Great-West Life Building / L’édifice de la Great-West (within shouting distance of this marker); Bank of Hamilton (within shouting distance of this marker); Robert Atkinson Davis
this page online
Regarding Union Tower. Canada Register of Historic Places, (2006/09/21), as Union Tower Building.
From the Register Statement of Significance:
The Union Tower Building is a striking Chicago School commercial structure set apart from Winnipeg's other remarkable early skyscrapers by its height, trapezoidal form and brilliant, richly ornamented facades of Kootenay marble and cream-coloured terra cotta. What for several decades was the city's tallest office tower is a showcase of exquisite Sullivanesque-inspired styling with column-like vertical articulation and lacy Italian Renaissance detail suitable for a prominent structure within a cluster of grandiose financial institutions.
Related markers. Click here for
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 16, 2022
2. Union Tower Marker
Also see . . .
1. Union Tower Building.
Key elements that define the skyscraper's exterior heritage character and Chicago School style include:(Submitted on January 31, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
• the symmetrical column-like verticality of the main elevations expressed through the curved southwest corner bay, channelled and smooth pilasters rising to an upper arcade of embellished Venetian arches, multiple, vertically aligned windows, and pronounced entablatures and cornices;
• the many windows regularly arranged on all sides, mostly flat-headed and in pairs, but also including large Chicago windows framed by ornamented bronze at the base and round-arched openings at the top;
• the extensive terra cotta ornamentation, especially prevalent on the third and upper floors, including cartouches, garlands, brackets, mouldings, openings with rosettes, spandrels with framed rings, etc.;
• the two main entrances given different treatments: the southwest corner into the banking hall framed in bronze, bordered by terra cotta leaves and piled high with a decorative balcony and garlanded cartouche; the south office entrance with a round-headed pediment and classical columns;
2. Historic Sites of Manitoba: Union Trust Building.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 16, 2022
3. Union Tower (south elevation)
The building on Lombard Avenue was completed in 1913. A commemorative plaque is mounted on its southwest corner. In 2009, the building (a municipally-designated historic site) was recognized with a Heritage Winnipeg Preservation Award.(Submitted on January 31, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 16, 2022
4. Union Tower (southwest elevation)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 31, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 55 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 31, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
