Riverside School
Whitewater, Manitoba, R0K, Canada
Formally Recognized:
1998/06/15
Other Name(s)
n/a
Links and documents
Construction Date(s)
1883/01/01 to 1883/12/31
Listed on the Canadian Register:
2006/02/22
Statement of Significance
Description of Historic Place
Riverside School, completed in 1883 and moved to its current site in 1902, is a small wood-frame building on farmland near Minto. The municipal designation applies to the one-storey school and its grounds.
Heritage Value
Riverside School, an unassuming wooden structure, is one of the oldest one-room rural schools in western Manitoba. Its front oculus and pedimented window caps add elements of style to its otherwise functional design. Set in an agricultural district near the Souris River valley, the school attests to the priority attached to public education by early settlers in the Minto area. The facility, which doubled as a church during its first few decades, served the community for 73 years.
Source: Rural Municipality of Whitewater By-law No. 9805, April 8, 1998
Character-Defining Elements
Key elements that define the heritage character of the Riverside School site include:
- its location in the Minto area, two kilometres south of the Souris River, with the school facing west over open farmland
Key exterior elements that define the building's modest utilitarian character include:
- the compact rectangular single-storey massing under a moderately pitched, forward-facing gable roof, with a lower hip-roofed front (west) porch
- the basic materials and finishes, including the wood-frame construction, white-painted horizontal wood siding with contrasting wood trim and metallic shingles
- the symmetrical fenestration featuring rectangular sash windows with pedimented caps on the north and south sides, an oculus in the peak of the west gable and a transom window over the south door
- minimal details such as the brick chimney on the east end and the vertical board door on the south side
Key interior elements that define the building's heritage character and schoolhouse function include:
- the one-room classroom plan with an entrance porch
- the unpretentious materials and finishes, including painted vertical wood wainscotting, wood flooring, plain wood trim around windows, etc.
- features such as the two blackboards on the north and east walls, etc.
Recognition
Jurisdiction
Manitoba
Recognition Authority
Local Governments (MB)
Recognition Statute
Manitoba Historic Resources Act
Recognition Type
Municipal Heritage Site
Recognition Date
1998/06/15
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
Historic
- Education
- One-Room School
Architect / Designer
n/a
Builder
n/a
Additional Information
Location of Supporting Documentation
RM of Whitewater South Railway St. Minto MB
Cross-Reference to Collection
Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier
M0168
Status
Published
Related Places
n/a