Description of Historic Place

The red brick Georgian Revival-style Nurses' Residence is a distinctive feature of the former Brandon Mental Health Centre, nestled amid the expansive grounds, trees and large institutional buildings on the north bank of the picturesque Assiniboine River valley. Constructed in 1921-23, the residence is situated on a 64.75-hectare site along Highway 1A in northeast Brandon, adjacent to more than 200 hectares of undeveloped Crown land. The site's provincial designation applies to the three-storey structure and the small parcel of land on which it sits.

Heritage Value

The Nurses' Residence, an exceptional Georgian Revival-style training centre and dormitory, heralded a new approach to building design and staff needs at the Brandon Mental Health Centre. The structure's prominent portico, angled wings, verandahs, balconies and airy, richly decorated interior conveyed a decidedly residential, if not resort-like, character. As such, the facility marked a departure from the centre's earlier structures, which were more imposing and institutional in appearance. Designed by architects Jordan and Over of Winnipeg, the superb architectural qualities of the residence for many years offered doctors, nurses and trainees a refuge from the stresses of their work. The building retains a high level of integrity.

Source: Manitoba Heritage Council Minutes, May 23, 1984

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the site include:
- placement of the structure on an east-west axis near three of the Brandon Mental Health Centre's treatment facilities
- the park-like setting, including the expansive terraced front grounds, large surrounding trees that shelter the property on the north and walkways that link to the other facilities

Key elements of the exceptional Georgian Revival-style design of the Nurses' Residence include:
- its characteristic rectangular long plan, with inwardly angled wings, a medium-pitched clipped-gable roof covered by green shingles, south-facing hipped dormers with balconies, red brick and white stucco, white wood trim and cut stone highlights
- the symmetrical front (south) facade with a semicircular wooden portico supported by free-standing and attached Doric columns
- the central main entrance, its double glass and oak doors surrounded by sidelights and transoms with diamond-patterned oak glazing bars, all encased by oak surrounds
- the generous fenestration throughout, including classic square-headed double-hung windows with nine-over-nine panes on the lower front elevation and six-over-six panes on the balance of the structure
- features such as the front arcade of segmental arches, which spring from stone imposts to support the second-storey screened verandahs, and massive polygonal stacked chimneys detailed with corbelled brickwork

Key elements of the building's richly decorated interior include:
- the expansive, well-organized interior layout, based on a central-hall plan, with large, well-lit spaces, high ceilings, a richly detailed foyer and main staircase with wrought-iron detailing and an oak balustrade
- the functional division of the main floor into a spacious lounge, classrooms with slate blackboards, laboratory, airy main dining hall, doctors' private dining room and a small kitchen in the east wing and teachers' room, faculty offices and dormitories on the west side
- the upper-storey dormitories divided into individual rooms and the small central second-floor nurses' lounge with oak built-in cabinets and free-standing Doric columns
- the exquisitely appointed main-floor lounge, including an oak fireplace with green marble inlay, French doors, a decorative beamed and coffered ceiling, hand-painted murals with pastoral scenes, oak wall paneling, hardwood flooring, and oak folding doors with etched glass between the lounge and classrooms
- the fine detailing of the dining facilities, including the decorative beamed and coffered ceiling, Doric columns, oak wall panelling, French doors and built-in oak china cabinets with etched glass in the main dining hall, and the oak wall panelling, built-in oak china cabinets and hand-painted murals in the doctors' dining room