Description of Historic Place

Leross Heritage Park is a Municipal Heritage Property located within the Village of Leross on 3rd Avenue. The property features two wood-frame, one-storey buildings constructed in the early-twentieth century, two non-contributing buildings and one non-contributing swimming pool.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Leross Heritage Park lies in its representation of early schoolhouses in the district. The Granatier School was constructed in 1907 in the Lestock-Leross district. Local children were taught in the building for more than forty years until 1950 when the school was closed. The building was then moved south of Leross along Highway #35 and was utilized by the Eskdale United Church until the congregation disbanded in 1980. After more than 70 years of service to the people of the area, the building was moved into Leross to make it part of a new heritage park and restored to its period as a school.

The heritage value of the property also lies in the historical significance of the old rural municipality (RM) office to the community of Leross. The old rural municipality office was constructed in 1910, shortly after the Rural Municipalitly of Kellross No. 247 was organized. The building provided office space for the RM for over forty years, until a new office was constructed in 1956. The building was moved onto the property in the 1990’s and it was restored to resemble its early days as the RM office. Along with the Granatier School, the old RM office is used to help interpret the early settlement of the community.

Source:

Village of Leross Bylaw No. 2-1993.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Leross Heritage Park resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements of the property that reflect the Granatier School’s representation of early schoolhouses in the district, including the interior space configured to create one open room, its rectangular massing and generous window placement, bell tower above the main entrance, flag pole, wood siding, cedar shingle-clad gable roof interior woodwork, and blackboard;
-those elements of the property that reflect the historical significance of the old rural municipality office, including its rectangular form and regular massing, the front boomtown façade, cedar shingle-clad gable roof, exterior wood siding, interior wood paneling and flooring, bell tower above the main entrance, division of the interior space with a counter separating the work area from the public entrance, and the wood counter.