More Information

École Centrale, a French immersion elementary school since 1983, is the second 'Central School' on this prominent site in Transcona, and plays a significant role in the story of education in the district.

The first Central School was opened in 1913 as an elementary institution with a population of 307 students. Over the years, it gained accreditation to become a high school as well which meant that by the 1930s, there were 1380 students from Grade one to twelve packing the crowded classrooms (an addition was made in 1931); construction of other schools nearby in the 1950s finally relieved the pressure.

Design Characteristics

• This new Central School was built as an addition to the old, which was finally demolished in 1975 when the new school was completed
• The present school is a low-slung design with only the gym space reaching above a single storey, made from a steel frame covered in a limestone veneer with a deep metal roof band in dark brown; wall spaces advance and recede on two elevations to create visual interest and express interior groupings
• Each classroom has a large window stacked vertically; the main entrance is a separate block on the northwest corner
• Long-time use of the site has provided big trees and a lovely yard that is well kept up