Display Building Number II

The grand Beaux-Arts

Classical-style Display Building Number II, constructed for the 1913 Dominion Fair, is a notable feature

on the Exhibition Grounds in Brandon's south end. Situated near the easterly treed 13th Street entrance

gates, the structure shares the expansive paved site with the historic Trade Fair Building to the north,

imposing Keystone Centre to the west and show rings and small barns to the northeast. The provincial

designation applies to the one-storey wood-frame display building.

Display

Building Number II is the only remaining major structure of four built for the 1913 Dominion Fair in

Brandon, the last time the prestigious national event was held. The facility also is a rare surviving

example of the grand agricultural display halls that once were common throughout southern Manitoba. Designed

to showcase innovations from across Canada, this building recalls the manner in which impressive architectural

styles were used to create interest and excitement around otherwise utilitarian and simply constructed

exhibition space. In this case, Brandon architects Walter H. Shillinglaw and David Marshall employed

the scale, composition and detailing characteristic of Beaux-Arts Classicism, a style popular in the

early 1900s for monumental public and commercial facilities. Display Building Number II is relatively

unchanged and continues to be used by the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba.

Source: Manitoba Heritage

Council Minute, May 23, 1984

Key

elements that define the heritage character of the site include:

- placement of the structure on the

east side of the Keystone Centre Exhibition Grounds in Brandon, on an east-west axis with the rear (east)

facade facing 13th Street

Key elements that define the Beaux-Arts Classical style of Display Building

Number II include:

- the structure's monumentality and grand scale, characterized by its symmetrical

design, large square corner towers with metal-sheathed cupolae and elaborate detailing, wood siding painted

white

- the segmentally curved pediments above the east and west public entrances, each with three equally

spaced doors between pilasters, topped by a flagpole

- the elaborate detailing of the wood pilasters

placed at regular intervals around the building; the four pedimented corner towers with upper arched

openings and lower rectangular-shaped openings on two sides; the dentilled detailing in the entrance

cornices and pediments; the window key embellishments; etc.

- the plain rectangular-shaped window openings

grouped in threes on the sides of the building

Key elements of the structure's utilitarian internal

heritage character include:

- its simple rectangular shape and the large open-space floor plan of the

display area, with nine bays ranging from 5.48 to seven metres in span

- the basic materials and finishes,

including wood post-and-truss construction on a shallow concrete foundation and floor; walls constructed

of wood studs; and assorted interior materials including shiplap, donacona board and horizontal metal

panels