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H.P. Tergesen and Sons General Merchant

82 1st Avenue, Gimli, Manitoba, R0C, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1989/10/24

Primary elevations, viewed from the northeast, of the H.P. Tergesen and Sons Store, Gimli, 2005; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport, 2005
Primary Elevations
Interior view of a tin ceiling detail in the H.P. Tergesen and Sons General Merchant, Gimli, 2005; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport,  2005
Interior Detail
No Image

Other Name(s)

H.P. Tergesen and Sons General Merchant
H.P. Tergesen General Store
Magasin général H.P. Tergesen

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1899/01/01 to 1899/12/31

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2009/08/17

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

H.P. Tergesen and Sons General Merchant, a designated provincial site, is a modest tin-clad building constructed in 1899. The store is located at an important intersection in the commercial heart of the Icelandic community of Gimli on the western shore of Lake Winnipeg. The designation applies to the building and the lot on which it sits.

Heritage Value

H.P. Tergesen and Sons General Merchant is a rare surviving example in Manitoba of the kind of commercial establishments that served most small communities around the turn of the twentieth century. The store recalls the simple vernacular traditions, construction materials and interior layout, finishes and details that characterized this building type, with the exceptional feature of pressed tin cladding on its facades. The store has been open since 1899, making it one of the oldest small retail establishments in Manitoba. It also has important connections to the Tergesen family, which has operated the store continuously for more than 100 years.

Source: Manitoba Heritage Council Minutes, October 24, 1989

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the site include:
- prominent placement of the building at the southwest corner of the intersection of two of Gimli's main thoroughfares, 1st Avenue and Centre Street

Key elements that define the building's simple vernacular commercial style include:
- the basic square form of the building and modest one-storey height, with pressed tin cladding and a simple cornice with widely spaced shallow supporting brackets that runs along the roofline of the east and north faces
- doors with flanking large display windows at the northeast corner and along the east and north faces
- the simple sign reading 'H.P. TERGESEN' set in the secondary cornice above the main entrance

Key internal elements that define the heritage character of the building include:
- the open, spacious quality of the interior, with exposed simple post-and-beam structural system and the walls and elaborate pressed tin ceiling painted white with grey and yellow trim
- the random placement of display tables throughout the store and placement against the walls of wood and glass shelving units and display cases
- main checkout desk with elaborate metal and wood cash register dating from 1899

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Manitoba

Recognition Authority

Province of Manitoba

Recognition Statute

Manitoba Historic Resources Act

Recognition Type

Provincial Heritage Site

Recognition Date

1989/10/24

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Developing Economies
Trade and Commerce

Function - Category and Type

Current

Commerce / Commercial Services
Shop or Wholesale Establishment

Historic

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Main Floor, 213 Notre Dame Avenue Winnipeg MB R3B 1N3

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

P043

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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