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Portage la Prairie Canadian Pacific Railway Station

301 3rd Street NE, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, R0G, Canada

Formally Recognized: 2004/04/12

Primary Elevation, from the southeast, of the Portage la Prairie Canadian Pacific Railway Station, Portage la Prairie, 2005; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 2005
Primary Elevation
Eave Detail of the Portage la Prairie Canadian Pacific Railway Station, Portage la Prairie, 2005; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 2005
Eave Detail
Contextual view, from the southwest, of the Portage la Prairie Canadian Pacific Railway Station, Portage la Prairie, 2005; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 2005
Contextual View

Other Name(s)

Portage la Prairie Canadian Pacific Railway Station
Portage la Prairie Canadian Pacific Railway Heritage Centre and Park

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1893/01/01 to 1893/12/31

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2006/02/01

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The Portage la Prairie Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Station, built in 1893, is a 1 1/2-storey brick structure with a prominent roof and oversized base of sandstone veneer. The site's municipal designation applies to the building and the grounds it occupies on the northern edge of Portage la Prairie.

Heritage Value

The Portage la Prairie CPR Station is a striking example of railway architecture in Manitoba, one noted for its imposing roofline, subdued Romanesque Revival styling and rare use of sandstone as a construction material. Unlike many other stations in the province, which are standardized wood-clad buildings, the Portage facility displays a specialized design by Edward Colonna of Montreal, one of several accomplished architects engaged by the CPR in the period before the company began relying almost exclusively on in-house designers. The station's Romanesque Revival characteristics, including a heavy rusticated base, massive round arches and textured, polychromatic surfaces executed in sandstone and brick, are intended to convey a corporate image of solidity and dignity and to signal Portage's regional importance as a railway and agricultural centre.

Source: City of Portage la Prairie By-law No. 04-8220, April 12, 2004

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the site character of the Portage la Prairie CPR Station include:
- the expansive station grounds on 3rd Street NE
- the building's east-west orientation, immediately parallel to railway tracks to the north

Key elements of the station's Romanesque Revival styling include:
- the basic rectangular 1 1/2-storey mass enveloped by walls of clay brick wythes atop a high rusticated sandstone base
- the commanding low-pitched hip roof featuring wood shingles and slightly bellcast, deep overhanging eaves supported by large wooden brackets spanning from the eaves down to the top of the sandstone base
- the roof interrupted on the north and south slopes by single large gable dormers, each featuring brick ends with a bank of three windows separated by rounded brick elements and encased in continuous stone lintels and sills
- the rectangular openings throughout, save the windowless west end, with most windows featuring heavy rusticated stone lintels and sills, and the south-facing doors with an added keystone
- the prominent north and south main entrances inset in large rusticated stone arches with radiating heads
- the rectangular telegrapher's bay facing the tracks on the north elevation
- the details, including the sandstone coping on the raised gable ends, and inside, the utilitarian details and finishes, including wood plank floors throughout, wooden wainscotting and moulding, plaster walls, two fireplaces, etc.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Manitoba

Recognition Authority

Local Governments (MB)

Recognition Statute

Manitoba Historic Resources Act

Recognition Type

Municipal Heritage Site

Recognition Date

2004/04/12

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Developing Economies
Communications and Transportation

Function - Category and Type

Current

Leisure
Museum

Historic

Transport-Rail
Station or Other Rail Facility

Architect / Designer

Edward Colonna

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

City of Portage la Prairie 97 Saskatchewan Avenue East Portage la Prairie MB R1N 0L8

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

M0257

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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