Penwarden Park

600 block of Moody Avenue

Penwarden Park was created in 1966 as the development of the residential neighbourhood around it was set to begin.

The earliest newspaper mention of Penwarden Park comes from the January 22, 1968 city council meeting: “Councillor Taylor suggested there should be an official opening of the Wm. Penwarden Park.”. It is unclear if an official opening ever took place.

The development of Moody Avenue east of Mercy Street began in 1968 with number 602, though most of the homes were built in the 1970s.

In early 1974, Frontier Realty advertised a number of three-bedroom homes for sale. It was in the process of constructing on the 600 block of Moody Avenue. At a city council meeting on May 26, 1975, bylaw 3915 was passed authorizing the transfer of lots at 613, 615, 617, and 619 Moody Avenue to Selco Enterprises Ltd. Also, bylaw 3916 transferring the lot at 618 Moody to A and K Smuttell.

In 1976, with much of the residential development complete, the city of Selkirk paved Moody Avenue from Mercy Street to Penwarden Park.

In August 1991, Ray Pennington, facilities supervisor for Parks and Recreation, said that Penwarden Park would be equipped with a play structure that would be completed by the end of the month. By 2011, the park had become run down and residents complained about its condition. $30,000 was spent on a completely new play area.

Penwarden Park is named for William H. Penwarden.

William (Bill) H. Penwarden was born in La Broquerie, Manitoba around 1900. After graduating from the University of Winnipeg in 1922, he moved to Selkirk to be an engineer at the Selkirk Mental Hospital where he worked until his retirement. He was well known in the community for his promotion of youth sports and recreation opportunities. He died on January 12, 1968.