Description of Historic Place

Fannystelle School, a two-storey wood-frame structure with stucco veneer, is a modest example of the modern aesthetic of post-1945, with unadorned flat surfaces and straight lines. Built in 1951, the eight-room school is located on the edge of the village of Fannystelle, alongside residences and in view of Sacre-Coeur-de-Jesus Roman Catholic Church. The municipal designation applies to the school and the lot it occupies.

Heritage Value

Fannystelle School is representative of the process of school consolidation that occurred in Manitoba in the 1950s in an effort to improve educational effectiveness and efficiency in rural areas. Centralized multi-classroom facilities, such as this one, were established on prominent sites in villages and towns, displacing the one-room schools that previously dotted the rural landscape. The building's modern aesthetic, with its crisp lines, clean surfaces and minimal ornamentation, also demonstrates the new design philosophies that accompanied the school construction program.

Source: Rural Municipality of Grey By-law No. 4/87, April 8, 1987

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Fannystelle School site include:
- the spacious lot, bordered by trees on the north and east sides, and with a large open expanse of grassed lot to the east of the structure

Key elements that define the school's modest modern aesthetic include:
- the symmetrical main facade, flat roof and smooth wall finishes in white stucco, with minimal decoration
- an emphasis on horizontal lines through the school's low profile and large, rectangular banks of windows on the main facade, each with four large, nearly square openings
- the centred double doors recessed in a stepped-back entranceway, sheltered by a canopy with a window above, and a secondary set of doors in the south wall
- the details, including the sign reading 'ECOLE FANNYSTELLE' and in smaller font 'S.D. 767' and '1951 A.D.' located in the top of the entrance bay, etc.

Key elements that define the school's modest interior layout, finishes and details include:
- the formal rectangular plan with rooms running off a transverse central hall
- the L-shaped main staircase
- the classroom in the southwest corner of the second floor featuring the original green chalkboards, light fixtures, linoleum tile flooring, wooden cabinets, etc.