Description of Historic Place

The Town of Watrous Pump House is a Municipal Heritage Property located within the Rural Municipality of Usborne No. 310 approximately ten kilometres northeast of the Town of Watrous. The property features a one-storey, fieldstone building constructed in 1912.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Town of Watrous Pump House lies in its association with water distribution for the Watrous area. The pump house was built in 1912 through a joint project between the Town of Watrous and the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad (GTPR). The pump house drew water from a nearby well and helped transport it to the town, thereby providing a safe water system for the people of the town and the GTPR (Canadian National Railway after 1919). The pump house was used until the mid-1960s when a new water system was completed.

The heritage value of the property also lies in its Romanesque Revival-influenced architecture. This style can be observed in its fieldstone construction, flared base and deeply inset window openings. This style is further exhibited in the stone quoins and rounded segmented arches.

Source:

Rural Municipality of Usborne No. 310 Bylaw No. 4-90.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Town of Watrous Pump House resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements that reflect the property’s association with water distribution, including its position on its original location;
-those elements that reflect its Romanesque Revival-influenced architecture, including its fieldstone construction, flared base, and inset window openings, as well as decorative stone quoins and segmented arches.