Description of Historic Place

The St. Laurent Town Hall, built in 1902 and expanded by a modest south addition in the 1960s, is a 1 1/2-storey wood-frame structure at the centre of a townsite surrounded by an agricultural landscape on the east side of Lake Manitoba. The municipal designation applies to the town hall and the grounds it occupies.

Heritage Value

The St. Laurent Town Hall is representative of the kind of municipal buildings erected by Manitoba's rural towns as they grew and developed, necessitating public services in the early twentieth century. Often a community's most significant civic building, the town hall typically is centrally located, as this one is, near schools, post offices, churches and businesses. The simple yet dignified architecture of the St. Laurent building reflects concerns for economy and functionality as well as pride as the face of local government in one of Manitoba's historically significant Metis settlements. The multi-purpose structure, part of a complex that includes newer municipal buildings, has continuously housed a garage, while its upper-level offices are now used for record storage.

Source: Rural Municipality of St. Laurent By-law No. 1/02, March 8, 2002

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the St. Laurent Town Hall site include:
- its location in a municipal complex at the intersection of two thoroughfares in St. Laurent, surrounded by other civic structures.

Key elements that define the hall's uncomplicated architecture include:
- the elongated rectangular 1½-storey expanse with a gable roof, west wall gable and facades of horizontal wood siding;
- the rectangular openings throughout with double-hung two-over-two-pane windows in simple wooden frames and casings;
- the details, including the large sliding shed doors on the north elevation for machinery access, the main door with intact hardware and a letter slot, etc.

Key elements that define the hall's practical yet elegant interior layout, finishes and details include:
- the informal plan of one-room volumes;
- the lath and plaster walls, wood wainscotting, concrete floor and plank ceiling of the garage space;
- the modest wood staircase and its plank enclosure;
- the plank floor and exposed ceiling of the upper office area;
- the practical details and finishes, including window casings with corner blocks, simple trim, etc.