Its purpose was to display the art collections of the Winnipeg Art Gallery and the Manitoba Museum, and perform music from the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. It also functioned as a convention centre until the current stand-alone Winnipeg Convention Centre (375 York Ave.) was built in the 1970s. It was constructed in 1932 by Carter-Halls-Aldinger as a make-work project during the Canadian Depression decade and largely paid for with funds from the Canadian federal government. The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra moved to the Centennial Concert Hall 1968, with the Manitoba Museum moving in 1970. When the Winnipeg Art Gallery moved across the street to their own building (300 Memorial Blvd.) in 1971 the Winnipeg Auditorium was re-purposed as the provincial Manitoba Archives. The Winnipeg Auditorium officially opened October 15, 1932, with the "Canadian Industrial Exhibition" of the North-West Commercial Travellers Association.