A National Historic Site of Canada encompassing about a dozen blocks of ornate early-20th-century brick and terracotta warehouses, banks, and commercial buildings. Winnipeg's wheat boom ended abruptly in 1914 — which meant the city never had the money to tear these buildings down. Today they house galleries, design studios, the city's warehouse theatre scene, and the annual Winnipeg Fringe Festival.
The district is the best place in Canada to see pre-1914 commercial architecture intact at scale. Stroll along McDermot and Arthur streets to take in the Tudesque facades, cast-iron columns, and ornate cornices. The Pantages Playhouse Theatre (1913) and Burton Cummings Theatre (1906, restored Walker Theatre) are both on the main drag.