Description of Historic Place
The Tennis Clubhouse is a simple log building located on a grassed terrace facing the tennis courts. Designed in the Tudor rustic style, the building features natural building materials, mock half-timbering, a prominent hipped roof with a center gable, and a large verandah wrapped around three sides. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.
Heritage Value
The Tennis Clubhouse is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental value.
Historical Value
The Tennis Clubhouse is associated with the massive Depression relief funding that was directed to Riding Mountain National Park and resulted in the building boom of 1931-1937. The Tennis Clubhouse was constructed with the assistance of relief labour funded through the 1934 Public Works Construction Act. It is also associated with Wasagaming’s growing popularity as a summer resort which encouraged park authorities to include new recreational facilities in their initial plans for the park.
Architectural Value
The Tennis Clubhouse is a very good example of the Tudor rustic aesthetic and high standard of log construction applied in National Parks. The aim was to develop a distinctive architectural appearance for Canadian Parks which was grounded in the English Picturesque movement, combining mock half-timbering and other Tudor Revival elements with rustic materials and construction techniques.
Environmental Value
The Tennis Clubhouse is located in the Government Reserve area, where structures were carefully sited within a planned landscape to create a distinctive visual effect. Its site has remained unchanged. The Clubhouse reinforces the picturesque character of its natural setting. Facing the tennis courts and catering to visitors of the park, it is a familiar building.
Sources:
Edward Mills, Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba, Federal Heritage Building Review Office Building Report, 85-054.
Tennis Clubhouse, Wasagaming, Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba, Heritage Character Statement, 85-054.
Character-Defining Elements
The following character-defining elements of the Tennis Clubhouse should be respected, for example:
Its Tudor rustic design aesthetic, quality craftsmanship and materials, for example:
-The simple block massing of the building with a large verandah wrapped around three sides.
-The slightly bellcast hipped roof with shingles laid in decorative horizontal bands, and with a center gable forming an entrance portico at the front elevation.
-The combination of natural materials, for example, peeled logs, wood shingles, stucco, and timber, with textural design elements such as exposed log connections, joints, struts and rafter tails at the building’s corners, eaves and verandah.
-The Tudor references that include the half-timbering in the gables and the multi-paned casement windows arranged in groups of three with transoms above.
The manner in which the Tennis Clubhouse maintains an unchanged historical relationship to its site, reinforces the picturesque character of its natural park setting, and is a familiar building in the park, as evidenced by:
-The building’s ongoing relationship with its simply manicured site and contrasting backdrop of mature trees.
-The overall Tudor rustic aesthetic which is compatible with the style of the adjacent buildings and which complements the picturesque grounds, surrounding recreational facilities, and the nearby museum/ interpretative centre.
-The building’s high visibility coupled with its association with the tennis courts.
