Portage - Ellice in Winnipeg, Manitoba — Canada’s Prairie Region (North America)

Isbister School

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 15, 2022

1. Isbister School Marker

Inscription.
The oldest surviving public school building in Winnipeg, Isbister School was built during the fall and winter of 1898–99 to plans by Samuel Hooper, Provincial Architect of Manitoba from 1904 to 1911. Named for Alexander Kennedy Isbister (1822–1883), the eminent scholar and educator of Scottish and Cree parentage, it was used as a model for a number of Winnipeg Schools built after the turn of the century.

With its picturesque roof line, varied surfaces, round and square-headed windows, columns, pilasters and tower loggia, it incorporates elements from various styles including Romanesque and Queen Anne Revival. In short, it is a fine example of the late Victorian fashion for architectural eclecticism.

Erected by Historic Sites Advisory Board of Manitoba.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1898.

Location. 49° 53.544′ N, 97° 9.066′ W. Marker is in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is in Portage - Ellice. Marker can be reached from Colony Street (Provincial Highway 62) just south of Webb Place, on the right when traveling north. Marker is mounted at eye-level near the southwest corner of the original school building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 310 Vaughan Street, Winnipeg MB R3B 2N8, Canada. Touch for directions.

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At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. George Bryce (about 210 meters away, measured in a direct line); Thomas Douglas (approx. 0.2 kilometers away); Ella Cora Hind (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Knox Church (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); The Royal Winnipeg Ballet / Le Royal Winnipeg Ballet (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); First Winnipeg Meeting of the T. Eaton Company Directors (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); First Masonic Temple Site (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Holy Trinity Anglican Church / L'église anglicane Holy Trinity (approx. 0.6 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Winnipeg.

Regarding Isbister School. Canada Register of Historic Places (1982/10/06).

From the Canadian Register Statement of Significance:
Isbister School is a rare example of the kind of facilities, three storeys high on a squarish plan, favoured by local education authorities at the turn of the twentieth century. Built to relieve enrolment pressure, the structure was one of the buildings that served as a model for how to translate the era's reform orientation and willingness to invest in education into well-designed buildings that were safe, comfortable, inviting and supportive of prevailing pedagogy. The interior likewise retains its bright, airy classrooms and some of its fine original
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 15, 2022

2. Isbister School Marker
(marker is mounted near the southwest corner of the original school building)
materials and finishes. Isbister School recalls the type of impressive and richly decorated structures that came to be seen as necessary means for encouraging parental confidence in the school system, as well as regular attendance, academic progress and good taste among students.

Also see . . .
1. Isbister School.

Isbister School is an eclectically styled brick building that now stands amidst a collection of high- and low-rise residential, commercial and institutional structures on the busy streets of Winnipeg's downtown. Now housing the Winnipeg Adult Education Centre, the school was enlarged in 2004 with a glass and steel addition to its east face, establishing a dramatic contrast with the highly articulated brick surfaces of the old school.

(Submitted on April 19, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Isbister School / Adult Education Centre.

After decades of service, Isbister School suffered the fate of other downtown schools suddenly in the middle of business districts rather than residential neighbourhoods. Dwindling enrolments caused the school’s closure in 1964 and it seemed likely the old place would be demolished. It received a reprieve, becoming the Adult Education Centre in September 1967. It even survived the 2004 onset of an incongruent steel, concrete
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 13, 2022

3. Isbister School (east elevation)
(original building)
and glass addition on the north and west sides. Luckily, the façade retains its 1898 face, glorious even with pollution-darkened brick.

(Submitted on April 19, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. Isbister School.

Manitoba Provincial Heritage Site No. 14.

(Submitted on April 19, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Isbister School (<i>south elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 15, 2022

4. Isbister School (south elevation)

(original building on the right)

Isbister School (<i>southwest elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 15, 2022

5. Isbister School (southwest elevation)

(2004 addition on the left))

Credits. This page was last revised on April 19, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 19, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 70 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on April 19, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.