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Keystone Centre development and construction fonds

http://archives.brandonu.ca/en/permalink/descriptions4854
Part Of
RG 5 Western Manitoba Manuscript Collection
Description Level
Collection
GMD
textual records
Date Range
1957-1974; predominant 1970-1974
Accession Number
22-1998
Part Of
RG 5 Western Manitoba Manuscript Collection
Description Level
Collection
Accession Number
22-1998
GMD
textual records
Date Range
1957-1974; predominant 1970-1974
Physical Description
36 cm
History / Biographical
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.
Notes
CAIN No. 202608
Subject Access
Ray Forbes
Fred McGuinness
Brandon Area Agricultural Development Survey
Doane Agricultural Service Inc
Agricultural & Homemaking School of Brandon
Royal Manitoba Winter Fair
Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba
South-Western District Agricultural Society
4-H
Manitoba Department of Agriculture
City of Brandon
Keystone Committee
Keystone Building Committee
agriculture
architecture
exhibitions
swine farming
sheep farming
cereal grain farming
rural life
winter fairs
Storage Location
1998 accessions
Storage Range
1998 accessions
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