Description of Historic Place

Built between 1900 and 1909, the Elton Heritage House combines a 1 1/2-storey wood-frame dwelling with a more substantial 2 1/2-storey brick building. Sheltered from adjacent open fields by large trees, the structure is set within a spacious grassed yard on a graveled municipal road near Forrest, north of Brandon. The municipal designation includes the farmhouse and the farmyard on which it sits.

Heritage Value

The two-part Elton Heritage House is an interesting example of the many farmsteads in southwestern Manitoba that began modestly, but soon evolved into thriving enterprises. The large four-square brick section, with its architectural detailing and expensive building materials, contrasts sharply with the attached small wood dwelling, and is a reminder of the growth and prosperity that occurred in the Brandon area in the early 1900s.

Source: Rural Municipality of Elton By-law No. 1290, June 9, 2003

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the site include:
- placement of the house on the north side of Justice Road, with its front facade oriented to the south
- the well-maintained grounds with a shelter belt of large trees on three sides, the long driveway and the southern view to large open fields

Key elements that define the heritage character of the brick house include:
- its four-square plan, typified by the solid proportions, large pyramidal roof, overhanging eaves, pedimented dormers on three sides and symmetrically composed front facade with tall rectangular openings
- the bold use of red brick against a buff-coloured background highlighting the flat arches above the door and window openings, and at the building's corners in a zigzag pattern to create stylized quoins, the wraparound verandah with a shed roof and second-floor balcony
- other decorative elements such as a dentilled wooden cornice, the bargeboards, patterned wood shingles and dentilled detailing in the dormers, the limestone window sills, etc.
- the interior central-hall configuration, with large front dining room and parlour; the north-located kitchen, bedroom and back stairs that lead to the upper floor and basement; the four upstairs bedrooms and bathroom leading off a central hall; three-metre-high concrete basement; well-crafted finishes, including the original front doors with beveled clear glass on two levels, leaded-glass windows in the parlour and dining room, egg-and-dart detailing in the centre-hall staircase; 22.9-centimetre baseboards and original wainscotting in the hallway; and unaltered third-floor open attic space; etc.

Key elements of the north-side 1900 wood house include:
- its simple rectangular form and finishes, including the gable roof, tongue-and-groove wooden siding painted original yellow with green trim, east-side entrance with basic exterior wooden staircase and small shed roof over the door, etc.
- the open space main-floor plan and tin-sheathed attic, with access on both levels to the brick house