Osborne Village#History

Osborne Village derives its name from Osborne Street (Winnipeg Route 62), which runs through the centre of the village area. Osborne Street was named after Lieutenant Colonel William Osborne Smith (1831–1887), the first commanding officer of Military District 10, which included the City of Winnipeg.{{cite web|last=Goldsborough|first=Gordon|title=Memorable Manitobans: William Osborne Smith (1831-1887)|url=http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/smith_wo.shtml|publisher=Manitoba Historical Society|access-date=16 October 2012|date=21 April 2012}} North of the Assiniboine River, Osborne Street was adjacent to the first Fort Osborne Barracks, on the site of which is now the Provincial Legislature.

Osborne Village is part of the original Fort Rouge area, which became part of the City of Winnipeg as Ward 1 in 1882.{{cite web|url=http://winnipeg.ca/ppd/planning/pdf_folder/OVCharacter.pdf|title=Osborne Village Character Inventory Study|last=Finnigan|first=Shaun|date=April 2, 2003|publisher=City of Winnipeg, Planning, Property and Development Department|access-date=16 October 2012}} The Fort Rouge area started with a population of only 150. The Fort Rouge area began developing as a residential suburb. In 1891, the Parkline became a streetcar route, running down River Avenue from Main Street, then south on Osborne Street. In the village, there was the construction of three bridges over the Assiniboine River: the Osborne Street Bridge (1882), the Maryland Bridge (1894), and the Main Street Bridge (1897).

In the 20th century, Osborne Village's Roslyn Road was developed as a wealthy residential enclave, and by 1911, it was home to the mansions of Winnipeg families. Elsewhere, it was still predominantly middle class. The Victoria Hospital was built early in the century at the corner of Bole Street and River Avenue. The second public park in the city, Assiniboine Park (later to be renamed Fort Rouge Park), was situated along River Avenue in 1894. High-rise apartments on or near the Assiniboine riverfront were developed.

The Midtown Bridge was constructed in 1954 and opened mid-September 1955.{{Cite news|title=Bridge Opened: Another Needed|date=September 15, 1955|work=Winnipeg Free Press|page=1}} The original Osborne Street bridge, which was built in 1882, reconstructed in the 1920s, and again in 1977, was refurbished in 2011/2012.{{cite web|title=Connection between Winnipeg's Downtown and Osborne Village complete|url=http://winnipeg.ca/cao/media/news/nr_2012/nr_20121026.stm#1|publisher=City of Winnipeg|access-date=26 October 2012|date=26 October 2012}}

In 2011, the Shoppers Drug Mart at 43 Osborne Street proposed a plan to purchase the neighbouring building to permit its expansion.{{cite news|last=Martin|first=Melissa|title=Village Shoppers eyes huge expansion|url=http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/village-shoppers-eyes-huge-expansion-135086828.html|access-date=16 October 2012|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|date=12 June 2011}} The proposal would increase the {{convert|10048|sqft|m2|adj=on}} store's footprint by more than double. The city board approved the purchase in December 2011.{{cite news|title=City board approves Shoppers expansion|url=http://www.winnipegsun.com/2011/12/21/city-board-approves-shoppers-expansion|access-date=16 October 2012|newspaper=Winnipeg Sun|date=21 December 2011}} Citing the threatened loss of two local businesses, Movie Village and Vi-Ann, a Vietnamese restaurant, area residents raised a campaign to appeal and block the purchase, collecting over 4,000 signatures,{{cite news|title=Residents denied: Osborne Shoppers expansion beats appeal|url=http://www.winnipegsun.com/2012/02/16/residents-denied-osborne-shoppers-expansion-beats-appeal|access-date=16 October 2012|newspaper=Winnipeg Sun|date=16 February 2012}} but the purchase plans were upheld by a city appeals committee in February 2012.

File:Osborne Village.jpg

The City of Winnipeg devised a neighbourhood plan for Osborne Village in 2006. As of 2006, Osborne Village has close to 554 buildings. Osborne Village is home to over 175 businesses.[http://www.OsborneVillager.com OsborneVillager.com] Osborne Village Business Directory Approximately {{convert|27|ha|acres}} (29%) of the land in the area is residential, with about {{convert|15|ha|acres}} of the village being used as single-family residential buildings (16%). {{convert|11|ha|acres}} (12%) of the land is used for commercial purposes. {{convert|4|ha|acres}} (4.5%) are devoted to park space.

The neighbourhood of Osborne Village covers {{convert|93|ha|acres|abbr=on}} of land with a population of approximately 12,745 as of 2016,{{Cite web |date=February 7, 2019 |title=River Heights East Neighbourhood Cluster |url=https://winnipeg.ca/Census/2016/Community%20Areas/River%20Heights%20Neighbourhood%20Cluster/Neighbourhoods/River%20Heights%20East/ |access-date=September 26, 2019 |website=City of Winnipeg}} making it the most densely populated neighbourhood in Winnipeg.{{cite web |date=26 April 2012 |title=Osborne named Canada's greatest neighbourhood |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/osborne-named-canada-s-greatest-neighbourhood-1.1266733 |access-date=16 October 2012 |publisher=CBC News}} Osborne Village has Winnipeg's tallest residential building outside of the downtown core: 55 Nassau Street North.{{cite web |title=55 Nassau North |url=http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=6237 |access-date=15 October 2012 |publisher=Skyscraperpage.com}} Constructed between 1968 and 1970, the residential complex is {{convert|190|m|ft}} tall.

Winnipeg Transit routes that cross through the Village are: 16 Osborne-Selkirk, 18 North Main-Corydon, 60 Pembina, 68 Grosvenor and 635 Misericordia Centre (Replace 99 and 185). Additionally, Osborne Village is served by two Transitway stations: Harkness and Osborne.

in 2018, the intention was announced to build a bicycle-pedestrian bridge to connect McFadyen Park with Fort Rouge Park over the Assiniboine River.{{Cite news|title=City unveils three options for pedestrian/bike bridge over Assiniboine|last1=Santin|first1=Aldo|date=May 24, 2018|last2=Turner|first2=Randy}} While plans were completed in 2020, the project had yet to proceed by 2025.{{cite news |title=Osborne to Downtown Walk Bike Bridge and Connections |url=https://legacy.winnipeg.ca/publicworks/pedestriansCycling/walkBikeProjects/OsborneToDowntownWalkBikeBridge.stm |access-date=11 February 2025 |agency=City of Winnipeg}}

File:Osborne Street near Winnipeg on Canada Day.jpg, 2006]]

Osborne Village's Canada Day Celebration, organized by the Osborne BIZ (Business Improvement Zone), was Winnipeg's longest running street festival.{{cite web|title=Osborne Village Canada Day Street Celebration|url=http://www.osbornevillage.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16|publisher=OsborneVillage.com|access-date=16 October 2012}} The two-day festival featured live music stages, food vendors, artisan booths, and kids' activities.{{cite web|last=Dacey|first=Elisha|title=What's happening for Canada Day in Winnipeg?|url=http://metronews.ca/news/winnipeg/281710/whats-happening-for-canada-day-in-winnipeg/|publisher=Metro News|access-date=16 October 2012|date=1 July 2012}} The street block of Osborne Village closed for the duration of the street party.{{cite web|url=http://accesswinnipeg.com/2012/06/canada-day-2012-festivities/|title=Canada Day 2012 Festivities|date=27 June 2012|publisher=Access Winnipeg|access-date=16 October 2012}} However, as of 2022, the festival was discontinued and was replaced by a weekly summer event called Happy Fridays in the Village.{{Cite web |date=June 10, 2022 |title=Canada Day street party in Osborne Village won't make post-COVID comeback |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/canada-day-osborne-village-street-party-cancelled-1.6484364 |website=CBC News}}

• Voted the Best Place to Live in Uptown's 2008 Best of List.{{cite web|url=http://www.uptownmag.com/2008-05-15/page2270.aspx|title=Best of Winnipeg 2008!|date=May 15, 2008|website=Winnipeg Free Press - Uptown Magazine|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080607002218/http://www.uptownmag.com/2008-05-15/page2270.aspx|archive-date=June 7, 2008}}
• Awarded "Canada's Great Neighbourhood" title for 2012 by Canadian Institute of Planners{{cite web|title=Osborne Village honoured by Canadian Institute of Planners as Canada's Great Neighbourhood for 2012|url=http://winnipeg.ca/cao/media/news/nr_2012/nr_20120703.stm#3|publisher=City of Winnipeg|access-date=16 October 2012|date=3 July 2012}}{{cite web|title=Announcing the Winners of Great Places in Canada!|url=http://www.cip-icu.ca/greatplaces/en/winners.asp|publisher=Canadian Institute of Planners|access-date=16 October 2012}}

• [https://www.osbornevillage.com Osborne Village BIZ]
• [http://gsac.ca/ Gas Station Arts Centre]

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Category:Neighbourhoods in Winnipeg