Discussions

In the fifties, and sixties Brandon was lacking in entertainment facilities. The Canada Council, and other givers of Grants had made it possible for the finest in Canadian, and International talent to tour the country.  
 
We had seen performances by Antal Dorati who conducted the Minneapolis Symphony on the ice surface of the old Arena, and Overture Concerts had brought Byron Janis, and Lois Marshal to the Auditorium of Knox United Church. The Brandon College struggled with the inadequacies of “The Chapel”, and the glorious Opera House was by now condemned.  
 
In 1957 was Brandon’s 75th anniversary, and to celebrate this event city council held a meeting on February 15th 1953 to plan a new Civic Auditorium. On January 2nd 1957 Mayor Schultz in his inaugural council meeting of that year urged that the Civic Auditorium project be given early attention.  
 
On October 3rd 1962 Premier Duff Roblin authorized the building of an Auditorium as a 1957 Centennial project.  
 
It was decided to build on the Brandon College campus on the corner of Twentieth Street, and Princess Avenue at an estimated cost of $450,000.  
 
On April 28th 1966 residents of the city, and West-man received their first look at how this structure will look upon completion when Mayor Stephen Magnacca at city hall unveiled a model of the Auditorium.  
 
On May 30, 1967 the Centennial Commissioner Mr. John Fisher officially unveiled a sign announcing the location of the Auditorium on the Brandon College campus.  
 
In August of 1968, the President of the House of Seagram, Mr. Charles R. Bronfman announced a donation of a sculpture named “The Explorer” by Hungarian born artist Mr. Victor Tolgesy. The work had been part of the sculpture garden at the “Man, and his World”, better known as Expo 67. The Seagram family have a long history in Brandon dating back to 1898.  
 
The project was plagued with financial shortfalls, which postponed the project on many occasions, but finally the Auditorium officially opened its doors to the public on Wednesday October 1st 1969.  
 
The opening week featured performances by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Western Manitoba Philharmonic Choir, Sister Rita Patenaude the Singing Nun, Wilf Carter, and Kitty Wells stars of Country, and Western music.  
 
The usual Brandon Doubting Thomas’s spread fears that the building would be a ‘White Elephant’, but with first class management provided by Mr. Buck Matiowsky, Mr. Bill Farrer, and Ms. Lori Murray, and the expert technical direction of Mr. Peter Pochynok these fears were unfounded.  
 
Note: The work of public Art, the Sculpture stood for many years on the front steps of the Auditorium. The piece was meant to symbolize the third dimension, referring not only to spatial exploration, but both lunar, and sculptural exploration as well. It has been moved to the grounds of the Brandon University campus.  
 
Source: Brandon, a prospect of a city by Mary Hume.  
 
http://www.wmca.ca/history.html  
 
http://expo67.ncf.ca/victor_tolgesy_explorer_p1.html