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McKinney House

Boissevain, Manitoba, R0K, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1996/03/07

Primary elevation, from the north, of the McKinney House, Boissevain area, 2005; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 2005
Primary Elevation
View of the entrance of the McKinney House, Boissevain area, 2005; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 2005
Entrance
Primary elevation, from the south, of the McKinney House, Boissevain area, 2005; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 2005
Primary Elevation

Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1904/01/01 to 1904/12/31

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2006/03/24

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

McKinney House, completed in 1904, is a 2 1/2-storey dwelling of concrete block construction situated about 10 kilometres southwest of Boissevain. The municipal designation applies to the house and its grounds.

Heritage Value

McKinney House is a fine example of a substantial rural residence constructed in the four-square style using moulded concrete blocks, a material popular in Manitoba for a short period at the turn of the twentieth century. The spacious home, erected for the William J. McKinney family by stonemason R.G. Currie and carpenter Ellis Maguire, Boissevain-area pioneers, has walls of large durable blocks formed on-site using a sand-based concrete and two moulds, including one with decorative designs. The McKinneys were a large family, prominent in farming and business circles, and their home, invitingly set along the main road from Boissevain to Max Lake, became a well-known social centre and community landmark.

Source: Rural Municipality of Morton By-law No. 96-03, March 7, 1996

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the McKinney House site include:
- its location on open prairie between Boissevain and Max Lake, with Highway 3 about a kilometre to the north and Turtle Mountain prominent to the south
- the building's placement, facing east, on a slight rise at the end of a long tree-lined lane, surrounded by a mature shelter belt

Key elements that define the dwelling's well-appointed exterior character, based on a four-square design, include:
- its tall 2 1/2-storey massing with pavilions on each side
- the moderately pitched hip roof with gables on the front (east) and side elevations, wide eaves and a rectangular brick chimney
- the walls of weathered sand-based concrete blocks, some with embossed decorative patterns used on corners for a subtle quoin effect and on a south-side stringcourse
- the functional fenestration, with abundant tall rectangular openings set on cement sills and capped with segmental arches of cement blocks

Key internal elements that define the dwelling's heritage character include:
- the second-floor layout with a large centre hall opening on to five rooms and a balcony
- the deep window openings, set into the thick walls
- the dark-stained wood doors and trim
- the basement with its exposed fieldstone walls, cement cistern walls and coal bin

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Manitoba

Recognition Authority

Local Governments (MB)

Recognition Statute

Manitoba Historic Resources Act

Recognition Type

Municipal Heritage Site

Recognition Date

1996/03/07

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Developing Economies
Extraction and Production

Function - Category and Type

Current

Residence
Single Dwelling

Historic

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

Ellis Maguire

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

RM of Morton 420 South Railway Box 490 Boissevain MB R0K 0E0

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

M0135

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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