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HEATHER OGG PHOTOGRAPHY \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS<\/p>\n
Newfoundland and Labrador\u2019s Alan Doyle, formerly one-third of the band Great Big Sea, played in Winnipeg last week and shared his thoughts on the city\u2019s heritage buildings while walking around downtown in a video he posted online.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at these cool old buildings,\u201d he added as he gazed at several in the two blocks on Main Street north of Portage Avenue.<\/p>\n
Doyle, who has continued his cross country tour and is now in Alberta for shows, pointed out several buildings, including the Hotel Fort Garry, Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club, and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.<\/p>\n
\u201c(The Hotel Fort Garry) is one of the coolest buildings and hotels in the entire country,\u201d while Times Change(d) is an \u201camazing bluesy bar \u2014 it is fantastic,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Doyle said the CMHR is an \u201camazing museum building\u2026 it\u2019s one of the coolest buildings in the country. The museum and the content is fantastic.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe building itself is worth going to see.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doyle ended his tour at the Mennonite Central Committee\u2019s Sam\u2019s Place, sipping a coffee, and saying it was \u201cmagnificent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MIKE DEAL \/ WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n The Hotel Fort Garry. <\/p>\n As of mid-afternoon Saturday, the five minute video had been viewed on Doyle\u2019s Facebook site more than 97,000 times.<\/p>\n Local heritage and architectural experts couldn\u2019t be more pleased to hear Doyle\u2019s praise.<\/p>\n Cindy Tugwell, executive director of Heritage Winnipeg, said she has already watched the video twice.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat an amazing promotion for our built heritage and to be mentioned as some of the best in Canada \u2014 wow,\u201d Tugwell said on Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a famous Canadian who appreciates our Canadian history. Tourism Winnipeg and the downtown couldn\u2019t have paid for a more genuine shining promotion for Winnipeg\u2026 some people who live here, really unfortunately, don\u2019t realize what treasures we have and it took a Newfoundlander to point it out.\u201d<\/p>\n In recent months Winnipeg has been feeling love from several celebrities who have been in town to shoot movies and television shows.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t RUTH BON-NEVILLE \/ WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n The Esplanade Bridge and the CMHR.<\/p>\n Mad Men star Jon Hamm was spotted in numerous restaurants and places in Winnipeg \u2014 as well as a movie theatre in nearby Stonewall \u2014 and is still professing his admiration for the city.<\/p>\n \u201cI had a blast in Winnipeg,\u201d he said during an interview earlier this month on Global News\u2019s The Morning Show.<\/p>\n \u201cThe people are so friendly, great food, and I love ice hockey, so you know it was always fun to go do that,\u201d he added about going to Winnipeg Jets games.<\/p>\n Last year, Bob Odenkirk, who starred in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul and has filmed several movies in Manitoba including Nobody and Nobody 2, said \u201cWinnipeg is an amazing interesting place. It\u2019s very quiet and calm and chill.\u201d<\/p>\n Spokespeople for Winnipeg\u2019s tourism industry have said you can\u2019t buy endorsements like these.<\/p>\n Brent Bellamy, creative director for Number Ten Architectural Group who also writes about architecture and other urban issues in the Free Press, said Doyle\u2019s video was \u201cawesome.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t NHL \/ ANDREW MAHON PHOTO<\/p>\n Jon Hamm at the Winnipeg Jets home game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in early November.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Winnipeg, we often forget about what we have,\u201d Bellamy said. \u201cWe are predisposed to be self effacing. But he has probably been to every city in Canada 50 times and when someone like him says this we should be proud of it. It\u2019s a great thing for him to do.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone should be thrilled to have this national historic area in 50 per cent of our downtown. A national historic neighbourhood, in your downtown, is something so special. Other places have national historic buildings\u2026 but we have an entire neighbourhood which is a national historic site which is so special.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen people celebrate it, like he did, I think it helps us realize what a treasure it is.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tSunday Passages<\/p>\n Sundays<\/p>\n Kevin Rollason\u2019s Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for Sunday Passages<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t Bellamy was also impressed by what Doyle didn\u2019t say.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was nice to see a celebrity come to Winnipeg and not complain about the cold, because that is usually what they do. He actually talked about the place itself and, you know, found some really nice niche places to go. That is what I really appreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n Bellamy said Doyle\u2019s video, and impression of the historic area, is also a call to action that Winnipeg should do what it can to continue preserving the Exchange District and its collection of heritage buildings.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MIKE SUDOMA\/FREE PRESS Files<\/p>\n Actor Bob Odenkirk waves prior to throwing one of the two first pitches to open the Winnipeg Goldeyes game in August 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cWe should be careful to make sure that in 50 years, whoever the Great Big Sea of 50 years from now is, they can come to Winnipeg and say the same thing because it is a great place that we have and we don\u2019t appreciate it enough.\u201d<\/p>\n kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Kevin Rollason Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until\u00a01988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press\u2019s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Kevin produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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