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Waddell Fountain

410 Cumberland Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1988/05/30

Contextual view, from the northeast, of Waddell Fountain, Winnipeg, 2005; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoa Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport, 2005
Contextual View
Detail of Waddell Fountain, Winnipeg, 2005; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport, 2005
Detail
No Image

Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1914/01/01 to 1914/12/31

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2007/02/13

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

Waddell Fountain, a light-coloured stone and granite structure installed in 1914, occupies a prominent site next to walkways and playground amenities in downtown Winnipeg's Central Park. The City of Winnipeg designation applies to the fountain on its footprint.

Heritage Value

Waddell Fountain is an exuberant and rare Winnipeg example of High Victorian Gothic Revival design. Richly embellished and steeple-like, the stone structure also is an exceptional display of the mason's craft. It was erected to commemorate Emily Margaret Waddell, the wife of a local temperance leader. Its design by architect John Manuel, based on a magnificent Edinburgh monument to writer Sir Walter Scott, also symbolizes the Scottish heritage of many early city residents. Built and dressed by the William Penn Stone Co. of Minneapolis, the fountain remains on its original site and is an enduring focal point in Central Park, one of the city's earliest public parks.

Source: Winnipeg City Council Meeting Minute, May 30, 1988

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Waddell Fountain site include:
- the structure's placement in the northern part of Central Park near formal walkways

Key elements that define the fountain's lively and finely sculpted High Victorian Gothic Revival style, its connection to Emily Margaret Waddell, and its original function, include:
- the tall, tiered, symmetrical form composed of a light-coloured stone superstructure rising to a crocketed pinnacle from the centre of a moat set within a stepped granite base
- the superstructure's supports, including flying buttresses interconnected by large nodding ogee arches and bridge-like anchors over the moat
- components that serve dual aesthetic and functional roles, including intricately carved lion head water spouts and double-tiered basins that overflow into the moat
- a rich collection of Gothic details, identically arranged on all sides, including arch and floral motifs, pinnacles, etc.
- the words "Waddell" and "Fountain" inscribed on two sides of the superstructure
- the pump that circulates water in the system, housed in a concrete compartment under the fountain

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Manitoba

Recognition Authority

City of Winnipeg

Recognition Statute

City of Winnipeg Act

Recognition Type

Winnipeg Landmark Heritage Structure

Recognition Date

1988/05/30

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life
Architecture and Design

Function - Category and Type

Current

Community
Commemorative Monument

Historic

Architect / Designer

John Manuel

Builder

William Penn Stone Co.

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

15-30 Fort Street Winnipeg MB

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

W0118

Status

Published

Related Places

Contextual View

Waddell Fountain

Waddell Fountain, a light-coloured stone and granite structure installed in 1914, occupies a prominent site next to walkways and playground amenities in downtown Winnipeg's…

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