1912 – Winning Design for Manitoba’s Legislative Building, Winnipeg

Architect: Francis Worthington Simon

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Illustrations of the winning design in an architectural competition to design provincial government building. The design as constructed differed only very slightly from these drawings published in September 1912.

“We very heartily congratulate the Government of Manitoba, the winner, and Mr. Leonard Stokes F.R.I.B.A., the assessor, on the decision in this excellently-conducted and most successful competition, which has resulted in the selection of the design submitted by Mr. F.W. Simon, F.R.I.B.A., the well-known architect of the Edinburgh International Exhibition of 1890 (in conjunction with Mr. Huon Matear F.R.I.B.A.) of the Liverpool Cotton Exchanges, and (with Messrs, Briggs, Wolstenholme, and Thornely) of the new Arts Building for the University of Liverpool. Mr. Simon’s design for the Manchester Art Gallery in the first competition was one of the most capable; and that for the Port of London new offices, though not places, was a very admirable and original one, and the plans among the best sent in. As will be remembered, on the preliminary competition, in which the Government of Manitoba invited designs for a building of the estimated cost of £400,000, Mr. Leonard Stokes, F.R.I.B.A., selected the following five architects to take part in the final competition: Messrs. Brown and Vallance, Montreal; Messrs. Clemshaw and Portnall. Regina, Saskatchewan; Messrs. E. and W. S. Maxwell, Montreal; Messrs. Sharp and Murrav, Toronto: and Mr. F.W. Simon, F.R.I.B.A., Liverpool. Each of these competitors will receive a sum of 2,000 dollars. The competition was limited to architects being subjects of the British Empire and practising therein.

Conformably, with our usual custom – thanks to the kindly co-operation of all the leading architects, who are good enough to recognise the duty and the right of the The Building News, as the leading and representative journal of British architecture, to publish the earliest possible illustrations of their works – we give this week a full series showing completely the successful design by Mr. F.W. Simon.”