Original Stencilled Ceiling of the Federal Building in Winnipeg Revealed

Archived Content

Information identified as archived on the Web is for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It has not been altered or updated after the date of archiving. Web pages that are archived on the Web are not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards. As per the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada, you can request alternate formats on the "Contact Us" page.

CCI Newsletter, No. 32, November 2003

Original Stencilled Ceiling of the Federal Building in Winnipeg Revealed

by Nancy E. Binnie, Conservation Scientist (Chemist), Conservation Processes and Materials Research

The Federal (Dominion Public) Building at 269 Main Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, was built in 1937 in a modern Gothic style. Over the years, repairs to damaged plaster and changes in paint colour have altered the decorative elements of the Main Lobby ceiling. Much of the historical character of the Main Lobby, however, can be seen in its preserved, original design elements including the decorative terrazzo floors, stone light brackets, brass elevator doors, bronze torch lamps, and walls of hone-finished Manitoba limestone.

In March 2003, Alastair Fox and I were invited by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) to document the original paint scheme on the panelled ceiling of the Main Lobby. This investigative work was suggested by the conservation architect who contributed to Federal Heritage Branch Review Office (FHBRO) documents for the building. Work plans included removing modern and historic paint layers to determine the original paint colours on ceiling panels, beams, and frieze. Paint layers were also sampled to determine if they contained lead (which could be a concern during remediation work), to identify pigments and media, and to confirm paint application sequences seen visually. Information on the original finishes was limited to a previous analysis of several ceiling paint chips, original architectural drawings, and a newspaper article published when the building opened.

Black overpaint from the ceiling panels was removed by sanding to reveal a geometric pattern with central squares, radiating bars, chevrons, triangles, and a checkered border. The sanding revealed opaque layers of red, blue, cream, and silver paint, with two colour schemes used on alternating panels. Paint colours were measured using a Minolta CM-2022 portable spectrophotometer for documentation purposes. For visual reference, they were matched to paint chips from various manufacturers, as well as to reference chips from the Munsell Book of Colour. The stencil pattern was traced and a 1:1 scale drawing was made to use later in re-creating the original pattern. Pigments found through later analysis by Kate Helwig and Elizabeth Moffatt at CCI included red iron oxide, ultramarine blue, barium sulphate/calcium sulphate/ lead white, aluminum flake, and bronze powder.

Paint layers were also examined on three different types of bronze-coloured beams, some of which were embellished with simple, decorative flower elements or covered by a sponge-textured stucco layer. All beams were originally coated with a cream-coloured, lead-based paint, after which the main (largest) beams were painted with the original layer of bronze paint. A stucco layer was applied to secondary (smaller) beams and decorative flower elements. Over the stucco layer, the more modern, present-day bronze-coloured paint was applied. This same bronze colour also forms the present-day paint layer on the main beams. There are no records (photos or written) to tell us when the stucco was applied; therefore, it seems possible that for some time the secondary ceiling beams were a cream colour rather than the bronze we see today.

As soon as issues related to plaster stability are addressed, PWGSC plans to restore the original ceiling stencil pattern and beams as part of their long-term plans to restore the
historic elements of this building.