‘Devastating’: Aging infrastructure forces historic Winnipeg arts hub out of commission for weeks

A historic hub for Winnipeg's arts and culture scene is out of service due to a burst pipe. CTV's Alexandra Holyk has the latest.

With age comes wisdom – but when it comes to the Artspace building in Winnipeg’s Exchange district, age comes with a crumbling infrastructure.

The 125-year-old building has been plagued with problems over the last few decades, often involving the elevator and wheelchair lift. This time, however, a broken water pipe has put the building and its events out of commission.

“The water sewage pipe that burst is preventing us (from being) an operational building,” said Artspace executive director Eric Plamondon.

The impact of the burst pipe has some tenants comparing it to the effects of the pandemic.

“Not since COVID, I guess, have we had such a catastrophic event,” said Leslie Supnet, the executive director of Winnipeg Film Group. “And with the pandemic, though, there was support … but there’s nothing for us now.”

“It’s a lot of promotion for the theatre that we’ve lost. It’s a lot of revenue for the theatre we’ve lost,” said Eric Peterson, the head projectionist at the Dave Barber Cinematheque, located inside Artspace. “It’s a real gut punch for us.”

Supnet and Peterson said they estimate their organizations have lost more than $10,000 in ticket sales alone as a result of the temporary closure.

“It’s been really devastating for us,” Supnet said.

The six-storey brick and stone warehouse was built in 1900 for the Gault brothers to store dry goods. In the 1980s, the building was restored with a $2 million investment from all three levels of government as part of a major revitalization and preservation project in Winnipeg. Now, Plamondon said around $20 million is needed to cover the cost of repairs.

“We’re trying to knock on doors, make some phone calls and get into those spaces, and also invite them to this space,” he said.

Plamondon added that Artspace plans to ask all levels of government to keep the show running, but tenants say the uncertainty could prompt an early curtain call.

“Any lost revenue is really bad,” Supnet emphasized. “We need to be open.”

University of Winnipeg urban geography professor Jino Distasio said he believes the community must come together to keep heritage buildings alive.

“I think 125 years later, we’ve just got to rediscover how we can better fund, especially the preservation side of historic buildings.”

Artspace said it hopes to be back up and running in the near future.

To support Winnipeg Film Group and Cinematheque, On Screen Manitoba launched a GoFundMe page, with a goal of raising $3,000.