Description of Historic Place

The Stodders House, built in 1894-95, is a Queen Anne Revival-style structure, with a compatible garage, that sits on a corner lot where Nelson Street intersects Morden's busy Thornhill Street. The municipal designation applies to the house and the lot upon which it occupies.

Heritage Value

The Stodders House, a magnificent execution of a Queen Anne Revival-style dwelling, is amongst the finest examples of this kind of architecture within Manitoba. Its extensive and elaborate ensemble of features, as well as its prominent location within Morden, distinguishes it from its architectural peers. The hexagonal corner tower with its distinctive beehive roof, the detailed woodwork, the variety of materials and picturesque roofline all combine to form a superior composition. The house was constructed for David Stodders, a pioneer grain merchant in Morden. His family occupied the site for about a decade, after which time it changed ownership frequently until ca. 1958-88 when it was associated with the Mary Currie family and became known locally as the Currie House.

Source: Town of Morden By-law No. 11-90, June 12, 1990

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the prominent Stodders House site include:
- its location on the southwest corner of Nelson and Thornhill streets in Morden
- the well-groomed yard with mature trees and shrubs

Key elements that define the house's handsomely crafted Queen Anne Revival style include:
- the 2 1/2-storey structure with complex asymmetrical massing and a cross-gable roof featuring gable and one north-facing hipped-gable end
- the hexagonal tower providing access onto a balcony and featuring rectangular windows set in brick flanking the door, sections of octagonal shingles and a band of decorative square-framed windows set in sections of vertical wood planks, notably the centremost bull's eye window, all capped by a conical-shaped dome with a halo of iron cresting
- the front verandah wrapping around the east and north sides, featuring elaborate gingerbread detailing, elegantly carved wooden spindles and posts and a dormer above the entrance with its gable end faced in octagonal shingles, all colourfully painted to contrast with the buff brick
- a variety of shapes and sizes of windows throughout, with most main- and second-floor openings consisting of paired rectangular windows with decorative brick surrounds and lintels and round-arched windows in the attic
- the unique windows, including the north elevation's main floor with an elaborate stained-glass bull's eye window and a bay window featuring a mansard roof and stained-glass upper lights; and the second-floor east elevation oriel window with a mansard roof, carved wooden detailing in the eaves and iron cresting
- the exquisite details and materials such as the lively colour palette throughout, intricate bargeboard and pendants, carved wooden brackets, use of locally manufactured brick, cedar shingles, the back porch with gingerbread detailing, etc.

Key elements that define the house's interior layout, finishes and details, from both the Stodders and Currie families' occupation, include:
- the formal side-hall plan with many original configurations intact, including the second-floor room formed by the tower
- the intact ornate wood and tile fireplace in the dining room featuring a mantel inset with a delicate metal carving of the Last Supper
- the refined details and finishes, including the decorative plaster moulding archway into the living room, the staircase's intricately carved wooden balustrade, mouldings, fir and cedar woodwork throughout, some fir plank flooring, period light fixtures, etc.