The idea of the Keystone Centre was first mentioned in 1958, at a meeting of the board of directors of the Manitoba Winter Fair. The Manitoba Winter Fair wanted a new facility because the old Wheat City Arena had a leaking roof and a deteriorating west wall. The old facility also had limited space and the Winter Fair felt it needed more space for expansion. The Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba also had problems with their facilities, such as old barns and poor display areas. The idea of the Keystone Centre was put on hold until 1969, when the boards of the Provincial Exhibition and the Manitoba Winter Fair joined together as the Provincial Exhibition Association of Manitoba and the Wheat City Arena was sold and demolished. The original estimate for the cost of the Keystone Centre facilities was $4.5 million and funding would be proportioned so that the federal and provincial governments would each put in one-third of the money, with the rest coming from local donations. The financial campaign for the Keystone Centre began in 1970, and construction began in November 1970. The grand opening of the Centre was in March 1973, and coincided with the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair of that year.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1998. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds contains many folders full of correspondence, financial statements, meeting minutes and other documents relating to the development and construction of the Keystone Centre from 1970-1974, including those from the Keystone Executive Committee, as well as the Building Committee. Fonds also contains one folder that pertains to the Brandon Area Agricultural Development Survey from 1959. This folder contains the names and locations of all farmers in the Brandon area in 1959. The Brandon Area Agricultural Development Survey was created in 1959, in order to make farming in the Brandon area more profitable. The survey was aided by Doane Agricultural Service from St. Louis, Missouri, who had success creating agricultural development programs in the United States. Fonds also contains folders from the Provincial Exhibition with correspondence, pamphlets, estimates, and studies from the 1960's. There is also one folder belonging to the Manitoba Winter Fair, which contains correspondence and financial statements relating to the Wheat City Arena. Fonds also contains information pertaining to the proposals made in the 1960's, for the building of the Keystone Centre, as well as one folder about the Keystone campaign from 1970-73. There is also one folder about the opening of the Keystone Centre, which contains newspaper clippings and guest lists. Finally, the fonds contains information about a court case involving Albert Bobyk and Robert Stewart. Stewart was the project manager for the Building Committee and Bobyk worked on the Keystone Center. The fonds includes a report about the trial of the two men who were charged with fraud involving their work on the Keystone Centre.
Built 1882. Sold to Hughes & Co. July 1, 1905. Became part of Strathcona Block, built on front out to 10th Street in 1905.
[From 1871 to 1890 the Manitoba school system was based on the Quebec model of religiously-aligned primary education. As such, Brandon’s first Central School was actually the first school built as part of the Brandon Protestant School Board. In contrast, St. Joseph’s Academy provided education to the children of Brandon’s Catholic community and was overseen by its own Catholic school board. Many non-secular school boards would be eliminated in Manitoba in 1890. (Mitchell, T. 1986. In the Image of Ontario: Public Schools in Brandon 1881-1890. Manitoba History, Number 12, Autumn 1986)]
Custodial History
For custodial history see the collection level description of the Lawrence Stuckey collection.
[This photo shows the remains of Brandon's first Central School, built 1882. A "T" shaped addition was added to the east side of the original school in 1883. In 1905 the Brandon School District sold the building to Hughes & Company, who subsequently added an eastward extention to the building bringing it out to 10th Street. This combined building would become known as the Strathcona Block. P.E. 12/06/09]
[From 1871 to 1890 the Manitoba school system was based on the Quebec model of religiously-aligned primary education. As such, Brandon’s first Central School was actually the first school built as part of the Brandon Protestant School Board. In contrast, St. Joseph’s Academy provided education to the children of Brandon’s Catholic community and was overseen by its own Catholic school board. Many non-secular school boards would be eliminated in Manitoba in 1890. (Mitchell, T. 1986. In the Image of Ontario: Public Schools in Brandon 1881-1890. Manitoba History, Number 12, Autumn 1986)]
Custodial History
For custodial history see the collection level description of the Lawrence Stuckey collection.
[St. Joseph’s Academy provided education to the children of Brandon’s Catholic community and was overseen by its own Catholic school board. Non-secular school boards would be eliminated in Manitoba in 1890. (Mitchell, T. 1986. In the Image of Ontario: Public Schools in Brandon 1881-1890. Manitoba History, Number 12, Autumn 1986.)]
Custodial History
For custodial history see the collection level description of the Lawrence Stuckey collection.
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