Description of Historic Place

The LaPlont Block, a designated municipal site, is a two-storey brick-clad commercial property in Brandon's downtown business district. The designation applies to the block's exterior.

Heritage Value

The LaPlont Block, one of the oldest commercial buildings in Brandon's downtown, is a fine example of Romanesque Revival detailing applied to a late nineteenth-century business block. The heavy stone arches of its second-floor windows dominate a front elevation that is relatively intact. Located in the centre of a historic block-long streetscape, it is the only structure in the group that completely retains the essence of its original facade. From 1902 until 1976 the building was home to Mutter Brothers Grocery, a local landmark and the last surviving example of a family-run full-service grocery store in downtown Brandon. Designed and constructed by F.J. Chubb, a Brandon contractor, this site also recalls an early local businessman, J. LaPlont, who operated a barbershop and cigar store from the premises.

Source: City of Brandon By-law No. 6313, July 24, 1995

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the site include:
- its location on the south side of Rosser Avenue between 9th and 10th streets in downtown Brandon, in the centre of a streetscape filled with century-old commercial buildings

Key elements that define the LaPlont Block's Romanesque Revival-style detailing and storefronts include:
- the three, closely spaced upper-floor windows with heavy rounded stone arches, keystones and a continuous stone sill, each topped by a semi-circular stained-glass panel
- the brick pilasters at each end of the front with sandstone bases and two metal cornices with end pieces
- the first floor divided into two commercial spaces, with access to the second floor provided by a door located to the east of the centre wall, resulting in a slightly off-centre appearance; all raised about five centimetres above street level upon a layer of much-worn sandstone
- the two original doorways to the main-floor commercial spaces, the east entrance flush with the sidewalk and the west entrance in a recession
- the two full-length display window spaces with painted wooden trim, the large transoms above the doors and the decorative wooden trim at the top and bottom of the columns surrounding the doorways

Key elements remaining in the building's interior include:
- the original stone foundation, visible and used as part of the decor in the basement
- the original main-floor layout based on the central, load-bearing dividing wall separating the two business concerns
- the panelling on the main staircase, remaining pressed tin ceiling panels and the original heating grates