VELOCITYWG #4 — “Armstrong’s Point”

Most Winnipeggers know Armstrong’s Point as “East Gate” for one of the neighbourhood’s three primary streets running off of Cornish Avenue.

Armstrong’s Point has always been an exclusive community. Built along an oxbow in the Assiniboine River, the area is naturally secluded. Although its first houses were constructed in the 1880s, it wasn’t until 1910 when residents erected the characteristic gates which still stand today.

VELOCITYWG #4 is “Armstrong’s Point” by Velocity Creative Director, Karla Burr.

Armstrong’s Point is one of those neighbourhoods that you can’t help but admire. Similar to Crescentwood, the little enclave touts a gaggle of architectural marvels from Winnipeg’s late 19th and early 20th Centuries — beautifully complemented with handsome old trees, tangled bushes, and manicured lawns.

Karla’s comments:

I had no idea that East and West Gate were actually called Armstrong’s Point. I couldn’t ignore the fact that everyone knows the area as East and West Gate — so I created a logo type that has wrought-iron details and looks like the archway of a gate. That also explains the E and W at the top.

Although spring and summer are lovely in East Gate… er… I mean Armstrong’s Point, nothing comes close to the beauty of the neighbourhood in mid to late fall, or just after a fresh dusting of November snow. Walking a complete circuit around the area won’t take long, so be sure to stop in at the Cornish Library, built in 1914 with funds donated by U.S. industrialist Andrew Carnegie and named for Winnipeg’s first mayor, Francis Cornish. It’s just about the best place possible to while away an hour or two and get lost in a good mystery novel.

VELOCITYWG is a weekly (well, we aim for weekly) design project: simple exercises in unfettered creativity with a common theme that’s near and dear to our hearts: celebrating the streets, suburbs, and cityscape of Manitoba’s capital.

VELOCITYWG, Rebranding One Great City, continues next week.

Comments? jay@velocitybranding.com