Winnipeg's Secret Code
/The Manitoba Legislative Building has a hidden code. If you look closely, you’ll find Egyptian sphinxes, the Arc of the Covenant, Greek monsters, cattle skulls, lion heads, and a mysterious black star. The question is: what does it all have to do with Winnipeg?
*CORRECTION: 13 press gallery seats are above Speaker's chair.
Recently, Dr. Frank Albo, an architectural historian, has dominated the study of the building’s architecture—he’s spear-headed the theory surrounding a Masonic code. He wrote a book called The Hermetic Code and leads authorized tours of the building. We were not able to find his book in print, nor did we take his tour, but some of his theories are referred to in the episode, found in the plethora of newspaper articles available (many from the Winnipeg Free Press). Some of his views are debated, which was one of the reasons we decided to look at the broader historical context surrounding the building’s construction. But it's all quite interesting regardless! Here’s his website
It goes without saying that events like the Red River Rebellion and the General Strike deserve episodes of their own—consider this episode as us dipping our toes into the incredibly rich history of Winnipeg and Manitoba as a whole.
We decided to use the architecture as a stepping stone to speak about the historical context surrounding its construction, so we bypassed quite a few other architectural details. Here are a few more:
- The triangular pediment that hangs over the North entrance represents the span of the country: on the east end of the pediment is a nautical wheel, symbolizing the Atlantic; on the west is Neptune's trident, symbolizing the Pacific. In the centre is a goddess representing Manitoba, the keystone province, with a lictor's staves across her knees.
- Normally you’ll only find mention of one Ark of the Covenant (officially the War Chest), but there’s actually two—on the East and West sides. They are chests guarded by a pair of figures: an Indigenous chief and Roman soldier, and a pair of Greek goddesses. No one knows what is inside them. In the Bible, the Ark of the Covenant held the 10 Commandments.
- The Lieutenant-Governor’s Reception Room is reserved for visiting royalty and is closed to the public. We were granted access to shoot this room as well as the Legislative Chamber (from behind a rope barrier) and these shots didn't make it into the video. The L-G Room is essentially the Queen’s office if she’s staying in Winnipeg. There’s a theory that it’s designed with the dimensions of the inner sanctum of King Solomon’s Temple, including a blue curtain that would have shrouded the ‘original’ Ark of the Covenant.
- If you stand in the centre of the star (in the Pool of the Black Star) and whisper, your voice echoes throughout the building by some pretty remarkable acoustics (unfortunately this didn’t translate well to a lav mic).
- Normally the Golden Boy figure is read as being Hermes, the son of Zeus, messenger to the gods. However, it’s more likely Mercury, god of trade and commerce. The wheat in his arm is the fruits of his labour, the torch is a call to the youth toward a prosperous future. He gained his nickname from a local newspaper writer.
- Four groups of statues surround the dome of the building: agriculture, industry, art, and science.
- Most of the building is constructed out of Tyndall stone, limestone native to Manitoba and full of fossils.
A great article detailing how the Panama Canal affected Winnipeg.
Freemasonry isn’t a secretive subject. In the early 1900s it was everywhere, later, it turned into a sort-of boys club. There are a lot of famous freemasons—John A. MacDonald was one—but this episode isn’t so much about the boys club as the tenets that were followed by the movement in the arts.
The quotation in the episode comes from the government committee set-up to organize the contest and pick the winner. They took it from Victorian art critic John Ruskin.
A closing quote from FW Simon, the architect: "Here you have no mountains to which you can lift up your hearts. And so you have all the more need for architecture to lift them up. Men and women cannot be happy or good in surroundings that are commonplace, ugly or uninspiring."
And The Weakerthans - One Great City!
Episode Transcript:
We're in Winnipeg, and this is the Manitoba Legislative Building where provincial laws are passed. At first glance it might look like any other Parliament building in Canada, with its neo-classical design, limestone construction, and pristine lawns. There's nothing ordinary about this place. Take a closer look and you'll find some features that are downright bizarre.
Egyptian sphinxes, Greek gods, the Ark of the Covenant, and a Golden Boy. Some say they're clues hidden in plain sight. Hints that this building is connected to a secretive order. But is it really a Da Vinci Code on the prairies? Or just eclectic design? Well, we're here to get to the bottom of it. We'll explore this place room by room to find out why Winnipeg is home to the grandest and most mysterious Parliament building in the country.
This, is Canadiana.
1911, Winnipeg was in the midst of a population boom, making it the third largest city in the country. It hadn't been long since the province and its capital had been at the center of one of Canada's most pivotal conflicts, the Red River Rebellion. The fight for sovereignty and Métis rights led by the famous Louis Riel had forged the province through blood and fire.
It had been 40 years since the province was founded, 30 years since the Canadian-Pacific Railway arrived, and 25 years since Louis Riel was hanged. Manitoba and Winnipeg were looking to forge a new identity and now was the perfect time.
We're at The Forks, the intersection between the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. Both of which stretch off for hundreds of kilometers. This junction is the reason Winnipeg's here in the first place. And the city's strategic location, not just on these rivers, but also very near the center of the country, made it a natural focus for the expansion of the Transcontinental Railways. Winnipeg was their primary hub, a gateway for commerce coming and going in every direction.
It was literally impossible to pass through the country without stopping in Winnipeg. It was the center of North American trade. And the city was becoming quite wealthy as a result. Government officials were ready to capitalize on exciting new construction projects. They welcomed Banker's Row, and Canada's first civic art gallery. And they wanted Winnipeg to have a brand new legislative building that reflected the world-class city it was becoming. But not just any legislative building, this one was going to be a palace.
A lavishly decorated monument to a land of plenty, hearkening back to the city's origins. This is exactly the kind of decorative symbolism you would expect to find in Manitoba's legislature. These two enormous bronze bison weigh 2.5 tons each. So heavy that legend has it they had to be slid in through the front door on ice carved from the Assiniboine River so they didn't scratch the shiny new marble floors.
But this is where the building's décor stops representing the obvious symbols of Manitoba and starts getting a little mysterious.
This is where our investigation begins.
For example, up there overlooking the bison is the head of Medusa, the Greek monster, the women with snakes instead of hair who turns any man who gazes upon her into stone. Across the room, right above me, is Athena, goddess of war. And all around me right now, from the length of the bison to the number of stairs, to the dimensions of the room are mathematical motifs that reflect the ritualistic practices of a secretive order, the Freemasons. If the word Freemasons conjures images of bizarre rituals, mysticism, and occult worship, that's partially because most people outside the brotherhood don't really understand it.
Freemasonry grew out of medieval stone mason's guilds, similar to modern unions, which set wages, trained members, and regulated their practice. Masons in medieval Europe studied measurement, geometry, and mathematics, as well as brick laying. The path from apprentice to master was marked by ritual. And to elevate their trade they made up stories about the guild having its roots in ancient Egypt.
Freemasons have laid a cornerstone in many great historical buildings around the world. The city of Washington was practically founded by Freemasons.
Back in the day, most masons and architects were members of the fraternal society. And this building is full of allegory that can be traced back to the principles of Freemasonry. Above us on the roof are Egyptian sphinxes inscribed with the words,
"To the firm and everlasting manifestation of the sun-god Ra, do your work."
It's a clever nod to the Egyptian origins of freemasonry under the guise of a fertility symbol, a sun-god who warms the land that produces the crop. And Medusa, well she's an icon of protection.
In fact, the name Medusa comes from a Greek word for protectress, and symbols of protection are common in freemasonry, derived from the traditions of ancient temples where these lion heads and cattle skulls would have been venerated for their ability to ward off evil spirits. The symbolism of this entire room, including the bison, is dedicated to protection. Even Athena, goddess of war, is also a protector of cities.
This is a staircase of fine Italian marble framed by rails of fossil-marked stone. The stairs come in flights of 13, and that's not by chance. Because this room and many of the details throughout the building are said to have been designed with very specific quantities and measurements.
The bison are each 13 feet long, there are 13 lights in each hallway, these lamps have 13 bulbs, this doorway has 13 decorative circles, and the press gallery has 13 seats. Other numbers, like two, three, five, and eight are also repeated throughout, and they all have one thing in common. They're all part of the Fibonacci sequence in mathematics. An important principle of sacred geometry practiced by the orders of Freemasonry.
This is the rotunda, we're now directly beneath the dome.
The entire floor is a geometric wheel encircled by a Greek key motif with a central balustrade 13 feet across. Said in its shape and dimensions to resemble the underworld deities. And gazing down through the balustrade reveals a mystical underworld. The Pool of the Black Star. It has eight points and measures exactly 13 feet across. This symbol may represent a blazing star at the center of the Masonic Lodge.
And the Masonic connection isn't just some far-fetched conspiracy theory, it's an idea supported by a local architectural historian who's authorized to give regular guided tours of the legislature. And it's even more plausible when you learn that the architect who designed this building was a confirmed member of the society.
So, who was the mastermind behind this arcane design?
Back in 1911 the city called the competition, 67 plans were submitted, and narrowed down to a single winner. The firm of Frank Worthington Simon. Simon was a renowned British architect working in the Arts and Crafts style. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and had previously been chosen by Queen Victoria to remodel Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Simon's generous use of allegory and mathematical design were both informed by his deep respect for the philosophical principles of Freemasonry. He was obsessed with quality and perfection, and with designing buildings that would stand tall for generations and generations of people to admire.
It seemed that he could have anything he wished for.
Allegorical sculptures by esteemed sculptors, French plastering, the finest Carrara marble, murals by distinguished artists, even Egyptian sphinxes engraved with hieroglyphics. Of course, the costs of the design began to escalate. But the city of Winnipeg wanted it all, and they were prepared to spare no expense.
Or so they thought.
The construction was about to be plagued by a series of misfortunes that would shake Winnipeg to its core.
This wasn't exactly the new era of peace and prosperity they'd been hoping for. This war mural by the artist Frank Brangwyn hangs above the entrance to the legislative chamber. A reminder of the hardships suffered by the people of Manitoba when the First World War stole their men and shattered their booming economy. In 1914, the government announced that all public works projects would be shut down indefinitely to conserve resources for the war. Construction of the legislature slowed to a crawl.
Little did they know, there was another big problem looming for the city of Winnipeg. One that few had predicted, the Panama Canal.
Completed in 1914, it opened up a new trade route to the west. Thanks to the canal, Pacific ports were now 8,000 kilometers closer to Europe than they were before. Great for Vancouver, not so great for Winnipeg.
Winnipeg's boom was officially over.
On top of the war, the canal, and the economic recession, there was also enormous public discontent at the government spending on this rather extravagant building. And it was later revealed that the conservative government had been colluding with the contractor to embezzle hundreds of thousands, close to 20 million in today's money. The scandal was so huge it forced the conservatives to resign, resulting in even further delays.
Then, a year before the building's completion came one final setback. The legendary Winnipeg General Strike.
Thanks to the post-war recession, appalling labor conditions, and continued public resentment of the government's misspending of tax dollars, 35,000 Winnipegers walked off the job in May 1919. There were countless arrests, deportations, violence, even deaths, before the strike finally ended. An event so massive, it triggered a wave of unionism across Canada. Manitoba's elaborate new legislative building could not have been built at a worse time. But they persevered.
Seven years and $9 million later, Winnipeg's new legislative building was finally ready to open. And despite the years of setbacks the vision of its originators held true.
"A building not for present delight, nor for use alone, but such as our descendants will thank us for."
And the most beautiful piece of design was placed outside, for all to see. At the very top of the dome of the legislature stands the Golden Boy. He looks hopefully toward the north, in the direction of the province's plentiful natural resources. The gold-plated messenger has become one of the best known symbols of Manitoba. He can be seen from kilometers away. He came a very long way to get here. And he nearly didn't make it.
The Golden Boy would be the angel at the top of the tree. Simon commissioned the statue from Charles Gardet, a renowned sculptor who was creating it at the Barbidienne Foundry in Paris. Disaster struck when the foundry was devastated by German bombs. Miraculously the Golden Boy was the only statue to emerge unharmed.
But his troubles weren't over.
He was stowed on a ship bound for America but the ship was commandeered by American troops, so the Golden Boy lay forgotten in the hold for two years as the ship crisscrossed the Atlantic, dodging U-boats and German destroyers.
But again, miraculously he survived.
The journey of the Golden boy is a perfect allegory for the hopes and dreams of a young Winnipeg, and today it's a testament to a city and to a province that have lived through triumphs and hardships and remained strong. The city of Winnipeg emerged with one of the most impressive public buildings in North America.
And while the theory of ancient Masonic code has inspired books, media buzz, and an influx of tourists, it's far from the only interesting history you'll find here. In the end, it doesn't really matter whether the icons are Masonic or not because the Manitoba Legislative Building itself is a much greater symbol than that. Through rebellion and railroads, prosperity and recession, promises and scandal, peace, war, and a Panama Canal, Winnipeg is still standing proud.
This legislature is a legacy in stone, a monument to that history and to this city's resilient spirit. So I'm now standing in the Legislative Reading Room, which is inside the Legislative Building. It's the oldest library anywhere in Manitoba. And the roots of this collection go back even further than that. Some of its books are very old. And I'll tell you more about that in a second.
But first, I'd like to thank you so much for watching. If you'd like to see more incredible stories about the history of Canada, please click subscribe. We have many more stories to tell. But this is the very last episode that we're shooting with the money that we were generously given from Bell Fund. So to tell more stories we're gonna need your help. You can become a patron on Patreon to give us a monthly donation. You can also give us a one-time donation on PayPal. You can follow us on social media and help spread the world. We're at @thisiscanadiana.
Now, back to the story of this place.
As I said, it's the oldest library in Manitoba. It was founded by the province's very first lieutenant governor. And to get things started he managed to get his hands on one of the oldest collections of books around, at least, in these parts. He heard that a private citizen had the remnants of a collection that went all the way back to 1812, to the beginning of the Red River settlement, which was the colony that was the precursor to Winnipeg.
The guy who founded that colony, Lord Selkirk, sent the settlers a few books that he thought might be helpful. And over the next few decades that library grew to more than 2,500 volumes, an impressive collection. But by the end of the 1800s it had been broken up and dispersed, so there was a couple hundred left. And those books were the ones that the lieutenant governor used to help start the collection that is now the official legislative collection for the province of Manitoba.
I'm Adam Bunch, and we'll see you next time on Canadiana.