Marconi School
NW 23-20-23 WPM, Rossburn, Manitoba, R0J, Canada
Formally Recognized:
1990/04/11
Other Name(s)
n/a
Links and documents
Construction Date(s)
1922/01/01 to 1922/12/31
Listed on the Canadian Register:
2005/10/06
Statement of Significance
Description of Historic Place
The cottage-style Marconi School and attached teacherage occupy a quiet rural setting on an isolated road in the Oakburn area of Manitoba, south of Riding Mountain National Park. Built in 1922, the structure is set within an open grassed yard surrounded by bush, small lakes and wetlands. The municipal designation applies to the schoolhouse, its related structures and their large lot.
Heritage Value
Marconi School, a one-room schoolhouse with an attached teacherage, is a fine example of the multigrade facilities that served many small communities in Manitoba during the first half of the twentieth century. Based on one of the most popular standardized provincial school designs available between 1912 and the mid-1920s, the building incorporates architectural features such as an informal hipped roof, obligatory bank of windows on one side and a tin ceiling. The restored school also is a rare example in Manitoba of an intact early school site, complete with grounds, flagpole and outhouses. Built by carpenter Frank Kennedy, the structure served the community for nearly three decades and is one of the few remaining heritage schools on its original site in the Rossburn municipality.
Source: Rural Municipality of Rossburn By-law No. 1217, February 13, 1990
Character-Defining Elements
Key elements that define the heritage character of the Marconi School site include:
- its placement in an isolated setting, accessible from a one-kilometre trail off Road 577, north of Oakburn
- the large grassed lot with the school aligned north to south
Key exterior elements that define the building's standardized design and original function include:
- its simple one-storey rectangular form, of wood-frame construction, with a medium-sloped hip roof and compact gable-roofed extensions at the front and rear (teacherage entrance/kitchen)
- the bank of six tall single-hung sash windows with 12- and nine-pane storms on the west side
- the additional fenestration, including two small upper hopper windows on the east elevation, single-hung sash openings on the front, an upper window in the entrance porch and single-hung sash openings on the west and east walls of the teacherage
- the basic materials and finishes, including exposed rafter ends under the eaves, cedar shingles, painted tongue-and-groove board siding, plain wood trim, and the prominent brick chimney extending through the centre of the roof's front slope
Key internal elements that define the heritage character and features of the building include:
- the intact well-lit open classroom with a high tin ceiling, board-and-batten walls, oiled hardwood floors, south-end openings to a small library and cloakroom, and blackboards
- the cloakroom's dark-stained walls, with lower vertical board-and-batten and upper tongue-and-groove horizontal boards, and oiled wood floors
- the compact teacherage spaces with a living room, bedroom and kitchen, all with a combination of panel board and board-and-batten finishes, dark-stained board ceilings and oiled wood floors, also built-in bookcases and closets at the entrances to the living room and bedroom
Recognition
Jurisdiction
Manitoba
Recognition Authority
Local Governments (MB)
Recognition Statute
Manitoba Historic Resources Act
Recognition Type
Municipal Heritage Site
Recognition Date
1990/04/11
Historical Information
Significant Date(s)
n/a
Theme - Category and Type
- Building Social and Community Life
- Education and Social Well-Being
Function - Category and Type
Current
- Leisure
- Museum
Historic
- Education
- One-Room School
Architect / Designer
n/a
Builder
Frank Kennedy
Additional Information
Location of Supporting Documentation
PO Box 100 Rossburn MB R0J 1V0
Cross-Reference to Collection
Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier
M0043
Status
Published
Related Places
n/a