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Stone Fence

17th Street between Rosser and Princess Avenue, Princess Avenue between 17th and 18th Streets, Brandon, Manitoba, R7A, Canada

Formally Recognized: 2003/02/17

Princess Avenue section of the Stone Fence, Brandon, 2005.; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport, 2005
View of the fence
View of one of the brick entrance gates of the Stone Fence, Brandon, 2005.; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport, 2005
Entrance View
No Image

Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1900/01/01 to 1904/12/31

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2005/08/10

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The solid Stone Fence, its roughly cut limestone walls up to 1.6 metres high and 40 centimetres wide, stretches along the east and south sides of the 100 block of 17th Street, a residential area near a main entrance to downtown Brandon. Built over four years starting in ca. 1900, the fence is part of an estate structure that once encircled the entire block. It now partially borders seven houses erected after the property was subdivided in 1939. The municipal designation applies to the fence.

Heritage Value

The Stone Fence, with its high, thick walls of roughly cut limestone blocks in slightly varying shades and its carefully detailed construction, is an enduring example of the stonemason's craft. Such extensive and substantial enclosures are rare in southwestern Manitoba and the century-old permanence of the fence stands in contrast to the newer homes it surrounds. The fence also is noted for its association with prominent businessman Charles Whitehead, founder of the Brandon Sun, who had the structure built around his 6,000-square-metre estate on what was then the outskirts of a booming frontier community. Now the fence faces a busy intersection on a main traffic artery in Brandon's core, where it is a landmark and a highly visible reminder of how the city, including the neighbourhood in the vicinity of the former Whitehead estate, has grown and changed.

Source: City of Brandon By-law No. 6644, February 25, 2002

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the site's heritage character as a local landmark include:
- the extent, dimensions and location of the existing fence, some 500 metres in length, up to 1.6 metres high and 40 centimetres wide, with corners standing at 17th Street and Rosser Avenue, 17th Street and Princess Avenue, and 18th Street and Princess Avenue in Brandon

Key elements that define the fence's design and structural characteristics include:
- the limestone masonry, with the body of the fence formed of squared rubble, the stones similar in texture and slightly varying in colour, capped by a band of uniform stones about 25 centimetres high; and with the corners of the fence carefully squared

Key elements that define the fence's connection to the former Whitehead estate include:
- the pedestrian entrance in the northeast quarter that provided access to the original dwelling, its four concrete stairs bordered by pillars featuring alternate bands of red brick and rusticated sandstone capped by concrete and a vehicle entrance on the east side with pillars also in red brick, but showing less ornamentation

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Manitoba

Recognition Authority

Local Governments (MB)

Recognition Statute

Manitoba Historic Resources Act

Recognition Type

Municipal Heritage Site

Recognition Date

2003/02/17

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Peopling the Land
Settlement

Function - Category and Type

Current

Community
Settlement

Historic

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

City Clerk's Office, 410 9th Street, Brandon MB

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

M0242

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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