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Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Peeling murals chip away at Graham's appeal
Vibrant murals meant to brighten up Graham Avenue have begun to peel, around a month after artists finished painting them. Splotches of paint have chipped away from the colourful designs stretching along Graham, between Carlton and Garry streets, after painting wrapped up in the second week of July. Hayden Hood, who works in the area, said it is disappointing to see some of the colour wear off so quickly, though she isn't sure it makes sense to spend more money to repair it. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS The murals meant to brighten up Graham Avenue have begun to peel only a month after the artists finished painting them. 'It's tough because … I watched a lot of the younger people do the artwork. And, so, I could see the pride in their work … It sucks because it's peeling and it was beautiful artwork,' said Hood. She expected some challenges are linked to preserving new art on an old street. 'It's a road that … hasn't been (kept up) in a long time. It's cracked … obviously, we can't (easily) redo the surface,' said Hood. Buses were re-routed from the longtime transit corridor at the end of June, as part of a new primary transit network. Much of Graham then became a pedestrian-only corridor through a pilot project. The area is now illuminated by large, colourful light fixtures and events are being planned to attract more people downtown. The murals are a key piece of that effort, funded by a US$100,000 grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies. The organizer of Cool Streets Winnipeg, which curated the artwork, said the paint began to wear off much sooner than expected. 'As the artistic lead, it's definitely painful to see it already have some wear that we would normally see in a (about a) year (after) this type of installation,' said Stéphane Dorge. Dorge said several factors contributed to the damage, including a large amount of oil leaked onto the street by buses over decades, a 'lightning speed' installation after buses left, the advanced age of the avenue itself and the fact heavy machinery is still being used to add new elements to the corridor. 'It is a pedestrian-only street but there's been lots of (heavy equipment) … on it … The friction of vehicles definitely also poses a lot more wear than we would typically see when … there is only people walking and biking on it,' said Dorge. The mural was designed to last about two years, prior to a more permanent plan for the street, and is slated to be touched up next spring or early summer, he said. CentreVenture Development Corporation, which took part in the Graham Avenue pilot project, said some city decisions also affected the paint. 'The city prioritized the environment over longevity when it came to the mural … In order to get rid of all the oils from the street, they would have needed to use powerful chemicals, some solvents …. and they prioritized not putting those chemicals down the sewer,' said Rochelle Squires, the corporation's chief executive officer. Squires stressed the overall project has seen success. 'People are noticing Graham, people are paying attention and more people are coming downtown,' she said. In an email, a city spokesman said the paint was meant to offer 'a quick and cost-effective way to create a pedestrian space,' though the past use of the street has interfered with it staying put. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Some of the paint chipped away from the colourful designs stretching along Graham, between Carlton and Garry streets, after painting wrapped up in the second week of July. 'The paint peeling is the result of 20-plus years of heavy use by large vehicles on Graham … The amount of embedded oil in the concrete remains high due to all the buses that previously operated on the road,' wrote spokesman Adam Campbell. The statement confirmed the city did opt against chemical treatment, which would have 'added at least a week to the timeline and increased costs and chemical run-off.' Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of city council's public works committee, said some challenges are to be expected. 'It's a pilot (project). It's a lesson to be learned … They've never really (painted murals), that I'm aware of, on any high-volume street like Graham was,' said Lukes. She said the accelerated timeline of the project made sense. 'We're trying to do things differently. We're trying to move forward faster on a lot of projects and summer in Winnipeg is short,' said Lukes. Hood said she misses the bus routes Graham once offered but believes the avenue's transformation is increasing foot traffic. 'It's great because there are a lot more people and that in itself changes the vibe,' she said. Weekday Mornings A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day. Matthew Schneider, who also works in the Graham area, said he believes getting more food trucks and events to the area will be key to its success. 'Just to have more street-life stuff, probably, will (have the most) impact in the long run,' said Schneider. Future events are planned to attract more people to the street, including live music, food trucks and a market set to take place Aug. 22 to 24, to coincide with the Winnipeg Sea Bears Championship Weekend. X: @joyanne_pursaga Joyanne PursagaReporter Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne. Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CBC
25-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
CentreVenture signs agreement to support study on restoring historic downtown Winnipeg church
An agreement has been made to begin a study on the possibility of restoring a historic downtown Winnipeg church threatened with demolition. CentreVenture Development Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding to fund the first phase of a heritage restoration study at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, a more than 140-year-old church at the corner of Smith Street and Graham Avenue, near both the Canada Life Centre and Millennium Library. The church, built in 1884, needs an estimated $7 million in repairs due to significant structural issues. The agreement was signed with the Parish of Holy Trinity, the Diocese of Rupert's Land of the Anglican Church of Canada, Monteyne Architecture and CentreVenture, a Friday news release from the development agency said. The diocese "celebrates the vision that this partnership will work toward," executive archdeacon Simon Neal Blaikie said in the release, calling it "a great day for the city of Winnipeg and the parishioners of Holy Trinity." Mayor Scott Gillingham called the church "a landmark of Winnipeg's history and a key piece of our downtown." CentreVenture's president and CEO, Rochelle Squires, said heritage buildings are "a unique asset" to Winnipeg's downtown, with each telling "a unique and rich story about our shared history." Under the agreement, CentreVenture — an arm's-length City of Winnipeg development agency focused on downtown projects — has committed to funding up to half of the cost of a feasibility study into stabilizing and restoring the building, which is a designated National Historic Site of Canada and a protected historical building in Winnipeg. The church has significant structural damage, including water damage and cracks that creep up the walls around the altar and elsewhere in the building. In an annual report released last year, the parish said it has been aware since the late 1980s that "major repairs to build a foundation under the historic church would be necessary to avoid a collapse." When Holy Trinity was built, it was not uncommon for buildings in Winnipeg to be constructed without foundations. Without an estimated $7 million in repairs, "structural failure and/or the building being condemned is likely a matter of months to a few years at most," an April 2024 post on the diocese's website said. The first phase of the rehabilitation study will be led by Monteyne Architecture and includes building monitoring, surveying, conditions assessment, environmental and hazardous materials assessments, geotechnical investigation, structural analysis and preliminary design of a new foundation, CentreVenture's release said.
