Background The Golden Boy was conceived during the backdrop of
World War I by British-born architect
Frank Worthington Simon, who also designed the
Manitoba Legislative Building that the figure would adorn. The construction of the
Canadian Pacific Railway began to open the West in the late-19th century, and as result, thousands of immigrants began settling in and near Winnipeg in 1881. By 1911, the population of Manitoba had increased over seven-fold, to 461,394. That year, as the province was rich in natural resources, and
Winnipeg (its capital) was a hub for
agriculture,
grain trade, and other enterprises, the
Government of Manitoba announced plans to construct a new legislature, which Manitoba politicians hoped to represent this emerging strength and vitality. Being judged as best reflecting this goal, Simon's designs intended to create a building of inspiration, and his 'crowning glory' would be the statue positioned at its highest point. In August 2002, the statue was regilded with a micro-thin coat of 23.75-karat gold leaf in a climate-controlled enclosure in full view of the public. During the restoration, the statue was also placed on public display at the
Manitoba Museum and at the Forks National Historic Site. Prepared by
Bristol Aerospace with a custom-manufactured paint from
Germany, the statue was regilded using 4,000 sheets of extra-heavy gold leaf. A new steel support post was installed by ISIS Canada, accompanied by a
structural health monitoring system—monitors and gauges for measuring vibrations and strain as well as for
wind stress and temperature effect on the statue and support structure. The Golden Boy was returned to the Legislative Building and re-installed on the dome on 5 September 2002. It was rededicated by
Queen Elizabeth II,
Queen of Canada, during her 2002
Golden Jubilee tour of Canada the following month. The restoration cost a total of
CA$1.1 million. The regilding cost $34,000, with the gold-leaf costing $5,600. The new gilding is expected to last about 25 to 30 years. Since its restoration, the Golden Boy's torch is no longer lit because its electrical cord had been one of the causes for the rust found in 2002. Instead, it is lit at night by
floodlights. ==Symbolism==