Last Wednesday, Karen Oliver, General Manager of the Provincial Exhibition, broke exciting news regarding the restoration of the Display Building No. II, otherwise known as the ‘Dome Building,’ at the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum. After 3,000 volunteer hours, the windows in the building are now another objective crossed off the to-do list in the process of restoration.

“We are here today to celebrate the terrific partnership in community between the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum and the Provincial Exhibition,” said Oliver.
“Thanks to hard work by the volunteers, with the help of the Museum, we are on step closer to restoring the Dome Building.”

The Dome Building was originally constructed in 1912, in preparation for the 1913 Dominion Fair.
During the early 1900s, the Dominion Fair was national event awarded to communities with strong agricultural communities, and Brandon was one of the last cities to host the fair as it had to end due to WWI. Now the Dome Building is the only building left in the entire nation that was built for the Dominion Fair, giving it both National and Provincial Heritage annotations.

“We are so proud to see the building being restored to its original beauty,” said Oliver.
Also speaking were Mel Wolfe, past president of the Provincial Exhibition and volunteer on the restoration of the windows, as well as Angus Sneesby, a long-time friend of the Provincial Exhibition and fellow volunteer.

“In 1995 I was part of a committee that started to look at the possibility of refurbishing the building, but that was put on hold due to the commitment of the Provincial Ex to the expansion of the Keystone Centre,” said Wolfe.
“Now I am one of the happiest people around to see it all finally coming to fruition.”

Wolfe outlined the progress made on the building itself and the financial strides the Restoring the Glory Campaign has made, saying that progress in continuing on schedule, with work on the walls, foundation, and now windows reaching completion.

“The work that still needs to be completed in 2012 includes completion of the foundation on the east and west sides of the building as well as repairs and replacements of the siding,” said Wolfe.
“There is a company in Winnipeg that can make the same siding to match what is on the building now. The company is 130-years-old, and they are speculating that they may have been the same company that made the original sidings.”
According to Wolfe, the original budget was $7.2 million, but thanks to commitment from volunteers the project has come in well under budget.  

Angus Sneesby explained what went into the restoration of the windows, telling the crowd that over the last three years, 164 windows have been restored by seven or eight volunteers ranging from 17 to 75-years-old in a partnership with the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum.

“We have put in roughly 3,000 hours on this project,” said Sneesby.
“Using seven gallons of linseed oil, seven gallons of turpentine, 21 gallons of paint and 83 litres of putty, we finished the restoration nearly four weeks ago with a product I am quite proud of thanks to a group I am very proud of.”

Upon completion, planned for 2013, the 100th Anniversary of the construction, the Dome Building will be used as office space for the Provincial Exhibition as well as other non-profit organizations, and will include a 6,000 square foot interactive museum featuring the agricultural history of Brandon and Manitoba.

Updates on the building continue to move forward, and with the Manitoba Summer Fair approaching on June 6-10, the public will have a chance to check it out first-hand. On the Sunday morning of the Fair, June 10, Breakfast Under the Domes will be held; a pancake breakfast open to all held in the building.
For more information about the restoration of the Dome Building, visit www.brandonfairs.com/Display_Bulding. ;