Description of Historic Place

Shillinglaw House, built in 1882 in Brandon's East End, is one of the city's oldest houses. It is prominently situated on a well-treed and elevated corner lot in a residential area composed primarily of newer homes. The site's municipal designation applies to the exterior of the building.

Heritage Value

Shillinglaw House was associated for more than 75 years with one of Brandon's most influential early citizens, Walter Shillinglaw. As an architect and city engineer (1896 to 1909), Shillinglaw was instrumental in shaping Brandon's physical development during the community's first half century. His portfolio encompassed projects such as Villa Louise, St. Paul's Presbyterian Church and the Federal Building, among many other residential, commercial and institutional buildings throughout southwestern Manitoba. Shillinglaw House, built by Walter's father, James, and expanded in 1906, is a modest example of the Italianate style, a popular form of domestic architecture in the late 1800s. It was the first residence in the East End and is now one of only two pre-1900 houses remaining in the neighbourhood.

Source: City of Brandon By-law No. 6744, June 23, 2003

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the site's heritage character include:
- its location on the southwest corner of Russell Street and Louise Avenue East in Brandon's East End, set behind a low brick fence and mature trees on a landscaped lot

Key elements that define the modest Italianate-style design of Shillinglaw House include:
- the structure's asymmetrical massing, characterized by elements of various shapes, sizes and positions, especially on the front facing, all of wood-frame construction on a stone foundation
- the complex multi-level roofline and picturesque front facade with its wood detailing, including the canopied entrance with square pillars, a second-floor balcony with slender Tuscan columns and curved brackets, a tower-like angled two-storey bay window and a wide exterior brick chimney with decorative corbelled courses
- the number and variety of windows on all elevations, including single rectangular openings of varying heights and widths with wide plain casings, the ground-floor bay and second-storey Palladian windows on the north elevation, the two ground-floor openings on the south side with triangular window caps and the lower windows in the two-storey front bay topped by segmental-arched caps

Key elements that define the dwelling's well-preserved interior include:
- the side-hall plan with spacious entrance foyer, modest staircase and large well-lit rooms
- the graceful, open living and dining rooms separated by an oak-trimmed archway sided by Tuscan columns, also in oak
- the oak floors and woodwork on the main floor, featuring ample door and window casings
- the interior doors on the main floor in well-maintained oak with decorative leaded-glass windows
- several stained-glass windows, including a wide panel over the window in the foyer, a matched pair flanking the library fireplace overmantel and a small opening in the entrance porch
- details such as the lantern-like light fixtures in the foyer and at the foot of the stairs, a pocket door, wall mouldings in the dining and living rooms, a library plate shelf, a bracketed shelf over the door between the library and the hallway, spiral wooden basement stairs, etc.