Description of Historic Place

The Casa Loma, Building (A2) in Riding Mountain National Park is situated on a lot in the original Clear Lake subdivision, a block away from the waterfront. It is a rectangular two-storey structure where the hipped roof of the second storey rises from the truncated hip roof of the large ground floor. The doorway is flanked by tripartite multi-paned windows, and evenly spaced windows line the second storey roofline. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Casa Loma, Building (A2) in Riding Mountain National Park is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values:

Historical value:
The Casa Loma, Building (A2) in Riding Mountain National Park is associated with the development of the National Parks in Manitoba and serves as a specific example of those cottages constructed in the 1920s and 1930s in the Wasagaming townsite of Riding Mountain National Park. These structures reflect the traditions of Scandinavian artisans who had established a settlement known as New Sweden to the southwest of the present Park. Eric Hall, its builder and original owner constructed much of the early stonework at Clear Lake. Its second owner, John Anderson, an accomplished log builder, was responsible for the construction of a succession of cottages, park buildings and commercial structures. Both men, as prominent members of the settlement, were associated with Casa Loma’s development.

Architectural value:
The Casa Loma, Building (A2) in Riding Mountain National Park is a good example of a vernacular cottage style residence representative of those built by local Scandinavian artisans. It is a good functional structure in an informal style.

Environmental value:
The Casa Loma, Building (A2) in Riding Mountain National Park reinforces its natural landscape setting in the Wasagaming townsite and is familiar to those in the neighbourhood.

Sources:
Casa Loma (A2), 154 Wasagaming Drive, Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba. Heritage Character Statement 85-054; G. Edward Mills, Forest Reserve Buildings, Building 2, Buildings in Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba. Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Report 85-043 to 85-054.

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements of the Casa Loma, Building (A2) in Riding Mountain National Park should be respected, for example:

Its vernacular style and very good quality materials and craftsmanship, for example:
-the low massing of the rectangular, two-storey structure;
-the hipped roof of the second storey that rises from the truncated hip roof of the large ground floor;
-the rafter rails visible under the broad roof overhang at both storeys;
-the wood lattice panels between concrete foundation piers, and wood shutters added to the front door and side windows;
-the doorway flanked by tri-partite multi-paned windows and the evenly-spaced windows on the second storey.

The manner in which the Casa Loma, Building (A2) in Riding Mountain National Park reinforces the natural landscape setting within Riding Mountain National Park as evidenced by:
-its scale, simple massing, and natural building materials;
-its compatibility with adjacent structures within the residential area of the Wasagaming townsite.