RCMP Heritage Centre facts for kids
| Le Centre du patrimoine de la GRC | |
Northern face of the RCMP Heritage Centre from Dewdney Avenue, December 2009
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| Established | 23 May 2007 |
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| Location | 5907 Dewdney Avenue, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. |
| Type | History museum |
| Architect | Nick Milkovich Architects |
The RCMP Heritage Centre (also known as Le Centre du patrimoine de la GRC in French) is a special museum in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. It's all about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), which is Canada's national police force. The museum has many cool exhibits and items that tell the story of the RCMP.
The building itself is quite large, about 6,000 square meters (65,000 square feet). It was designed by Nick Milkovich Architects. You can find it at the northeast end of the RCMP Academy, Depot Division, which is where new RCMP officers are trained. The Heritage Centre opened its doors to the public in May 2007. It was built to replace an older museum called the RCMP Centennial Museum.
Contents
History of the Centre
From Old to New: A Museum's Journey
The very first museum for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was called the RCMP Centennial Museum. It opened way back in 1933. This museum was also located at the RCMP Academy, Depot Division in Regina, Saskatchewan.
The Centennial Museum closed in October 2006. The RCMP Heritage Centre was then created to take its place. All the interesting collections from the old museum were moved to the new Heritage Centre once it was finished.
Building the Heritage Centre
Construction for the new RCMP Heritage Centre started in 2005. It took about two years to build. The museum officially welcomed visitors on May 23, 2007.
Building Design and Features
A Unique Look: Architecture of the Centre
The RCMP Heritage Centre is a large building, covering about 6,000 square meters (65,000 square feet). It is located south of Dewdney Avenue, right next to the "F" Division headquarters at the RCMP Academy in Regina. The building was finished in 2007. It cost around C$40 million to build.
Nick Milkovich Architects was the main design team for the project. Another famous architect, Arthur Erickson, also helped with the design ideas. P3 Architects worked as the official architects for the building plans. The company that built it was PCL Construction.
Materials and Special Shapes
The Heritage Centre is built using strong materials like concrete, glass, and special stones. These stones include Tyndall stone and limestone from Manitoba. The way the building is shaped makes it look like it's gently rising and sinking into the ground.
The roof of the building is very unique. It looks like windblown snow. It also reminds people of the camps used by First Nations people and the North-West Mounted Police long ago in the 1800s. This "swooping" roof changes height, going from about 9 meters (30 feet) to 20 meters (65 feet) tall. On the northeast side of the building, there are 21 oval-shaped columns. These columns are different heights, from 9 meters (30 feet) to 17 meters (56 feet) long.
Inside the building, you'll find colourful concrete floors and metal ceilings. There is also a theatre that can seat 124 people. This space is used for talks and presentations.
What You Can See: Exhibitions
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The main part of the Heritage Centre has a permanent exhibition. This means it's always there for visitors to explore. It tells the story of the RCMP's history. You can also learn about how police use forensics to solve crimes.
Some of the exhibits in the main gallery include:
- Creating a Mounted Police
- Maintaining Law and Order in the West
- Protecting the North
- Serving all of Canada
- Preserving the Tradition
- Cracking the Case
The museum also has a "Feature Exhibition" hall. Here, they show special items from their collection for a limited time. Many of the items you see at the Heritage Centre came from the old RCMP Centennial Museum.
Since 2016, the museum has also offered cool, interactive virtual reality exhibits. These let you experience things in a new way!
See also
In Spanish: Centro patrimonial RCMP para niños
