A look inside the St. Boniface Museum as its building marks 175 years
An inside view of the St. Boniface Museum’s permanent home on Sept. 7, 2026 — exactly 175 years after the building, formerly the Grey Nuns' Convent, was blessed. The museum has been operating out of a temporary site during restoration work, with a gradual reopening set to begin in October.
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St. Boniface Museum The St. Boniface Museum, pictured on Sept. 7, 2026, formerly served as a Grey Nuns' Convent. The federal government announced $400,000 over the next two years for a project to highlight the 175th anniversary of the heritage building. (Milan Lukes/CTV News Winnipeg)
St. Boniface Museum An interior view from the second storey of the St. Boniface Museum shows the wooden logs that make up the walls. The museum has been closed to the public since June 2024 for renovations, operating out of the former St. Boniface City Hall on Provencher Boulevard. (Milan Lukes/CTV News Winnipeg)
St. Boniface Museum An exhibit area on the St. Boniface Museum's main floor is shown with objects in bubble wrap. An interpretive plaque at the museum says the Grey Nuns moved into this former convent on Dec. 31, 1847, adding that construction of the main floor was complete then, but the north side was not yet insulated. (Milan Lukes/CTV News Winnipeg)
St. Boniface Museum The St. Boniface Museum's new HVAC system, tucked into a small room, is pictured on the third floor. A cooling system for the whole building is also among the recent upgrades. (Milan Lukes/CTV News Winnipeg)
St. Boniface Museum An exhibit area on the St. Boniface Mueum’s main floor shows objects in bubble wrap – including a Red River ox cart – and in boxes that have yet to be unpacked. A depiction of the prairie plains and a list of laws of the Métis buffalo hunt can be seen on the wall. (Milan Lukes/CTV News Winnipeg)
St. Boniface Museum A hallway is shown on the St. Boniface Museum's third floor on Sept. 7, 2026. The museum says the third floor is largely for meetings and office supplies and will not feature exhibits once it reopens to the public. (Milan Lukes/CTV News Winnipeg)
St. Boniface Museum A corner section of rafters is pictured at the St. Boniface Museum following multi-million-dollar improvements to the building. The museum says the bulk of the work done since it temporarily closed in 2024 has been on the third floor, which was gutted. (Milan Lukes/CTV News Winnipeg)
St. Boniface Museum An original rafter is pictured on the third storey of the St. Boniface Museum. The museum says the roof structure required reinforcing, adding that because of the size of the beams, the construction crew had to bring them in through a window with a crane. (Milan Lukes/CTV News Winnipeg)
St. Boniface Museum A third-storey window next to a staircase at the St. Boniface Museum offers a view of downtown Winnipeg and the trees near the banks of the Red River. (Milan Lukes/CTV News Winnipeg)
St. Boniface Museum Original logs placed vertically delineate a room within the St. Boniface Museum's building in Winnipeg on Sept. 7, 2026. (Milan Lukes/CTV News Winnipeg)
St. Boniface Museum A balcony overlooks the chapel in the former Grey Nuns' Convent in Winnipeg's St. Boniface neighbourhood on Sept. 7, 2026. (Milan Lukes/CTV News Winnipeg)
St. Boniface Museum The chapel within the St. Boniface Museum, formerly the Grey Nuns' Convent, is pictured on Sept. 7, 2026. (Milan Lukes/CTV News Winnipeg)
St. Boniface Museum An illuminated St. Boniface Museum sign with floral arrangements greets people arriving at the top of the building's third floor. (Milan Lukes/CTV News Winnipeg)
St. Boniface Museum Multiple round tables adorned with floral centrepieces sit on the second floor of the St. Boniface Museum. The three-storey building in Winnipeg's St. Boniface neighbourhood was built between 1846 and 1851 and holds historic designations at the national, provincial and municipal levels. (Milan Lukes/CTV News Winnipeg)
St. Boniface Museum A Red River ox cart, uniforms and furnishings are pictured wrapped in bubble wrap in the St. Boniface Museum. The museum intends to reopen its doors on Tache Avenue in October with a gradual reopening while restoration work continues. (Milan Lukes/CTV News Winnipeg)
St. Boniface Museum An exhibit area on the St. Boniface Museum's main floor is shown with objects in bubble wrap. (Milan Lukes/CTV News Winnipeg)
St. Boniface Museum A display board in the St. Boniface Museum highlights the restoration work the building has undergone over the decades. It says major repair work was carried out on the convent from 1964 to 1968 to accommodate the St. Boniface Museum, housed inside. (Milan Lukes/CTV News Winnipeg)
