Description of Historic Place

Its black onion domes visible from almost any local vantage point, the Ukrainian People's Home of Ivan Franko is a prominent fixture in the small agricultural community of Angusville. Built in 1934, the wood-frame social hall or `national home' is situated at a transition point between the hamlet's Main Street and a residential area. The site's municipal designation applies to the building and its grassed lot.

Heritage Value

The Ukrainian People's Home of Ivan Franko is one of only a few social halls built in Manitoba by Ukrainian National Home societies that feature `banyas' or onion domes as part of the design. These domes are a significant heritage symbol, one more commonly found in church architecture. The virtually intact Angusville hall, named after an important Ukrainian poet, is an otherwise simple structure that emphasizes function over ornamentation. Its facilities support a wide range of social and cultural activities intended to foster and showcase the vitality, cohesiveness and civic pride of the area's Ukrainian community.

Source: Rural Municipality of Silver Creek By-law No. 1051, May 12, 1992

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the external heritage and landmark status of the Ukrainian People's Home of Ivan Franko include:
- the large rectangular form of wood-frame construction, with a two-storey, gable-roofed main hall and a one-storey, shed-roofed extension on the east side, all clad in horizontal wood siding
- the three bulbous black banyas atop the main hall, the largest on the peak and two smaller ones at the corners, each topped with a flagpole
- the basic design and detailing of the main hall, including the centrally placed double entrance doors sheltered by a small black overhang, the building's name inscribed in Ukrainian over the doors and moderately sized double-hung windows set in simple wooden frames on all elevations

Key elements that define the building's internal function as a social and cultural hub include:
- the informal plan, including the large unobstructed hall space, a wooden stage at the south end, a balcony along the north wall and the open area of the east-side extension, accessed by two large sets of double doors
- stage features such as a hand-painted curtain depicting the hall's namesake, Ivan Franko, as well as a bronze bust of poet Taras Shevchenko and various crests; strip lighting along the front; compartments built into the floor to allow the transfer of props, food, etc., from the basement; and shielded director's `porthole'
- the simple, but effective ornamentation, with the main hall featuring maple hardwood floors, wood plank ceilings and walls with wainscotting, all painted blue and white; decorative wood finishing along the balcony front and entrance; period mouldings and trim around doors and stage; a large antique wood stove; etc.