The marvels of my Crescentwood ’hood

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/05/2020 (2003 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Strolling up and down the neighbourhood streets, I delight in the plentiful eye candy. Seven years ago, I moved into my partner’s Crescentwood character house and was charmed by the magical ’hood. Having lived here over 30 years, my wife proudly pointed out enchanting character homes and grand mansions as we strolled through our district.

During the global health crisis, neighbourhood walking is one of the few options left to occupy our time as we all adjust to the temporary reality.

I suggest that area residents check out these choice pieces of architectural delight on Ruskin Row, a street often found on historical tours of Winnipeg lists.

My favourite, and it seems a lot of other people’s too, is one I once heard referred to as the “wedding cake house.” When this elegant mansion came to market a couple of years ago, it elicited many Facebook posts. Most drooled and dreamed about being the next owners of the ornate yellow mansion. As expected, even at a hefty price, it was not for sale for very long.

Its official name, Kneeland House, has a decidedly less romantic ring to it. According to the Manitoba Historical Society, the sumptuous dwelling, named for grain merchant Elbert W. Kneeland, was built in 1910 by unskilled manual labour paid by the day.

Another Ruskin Row pick is one I refer to as the “Christmas house” as much for its stylish ornaments during the Christmas season as its house number (25). The Georgian revival-style home is called Breen House for its original owner, Nixon John Breen, who, I discover, died in his home the day after Christmas in 1954.

Breen House was built in 1928 and was designed by local architect Arthur E. Cubbidge. Its illustrious style is based on English and Dutch colonial architecture, popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

I refer to one specific two-storey brick and stone residence on the Row as the “Halloween house.” The haunted look of this particular dwelling is likely the reason it is occasionally used for filming horror movies. When I walk by at night, it can look particularly spooky. On a sunny day it has a more friendly look and was recently used in a Hallmark movie. 

This haunted mansion is actually Stovel House, designed by local architect Victor W. Horwood in 1910 for original owners Chester and Isabel Stovel. Known as a memorable Manitoban, Stovel established The Little Print Shop in 1889, which grew into the Stovel Publishing Company.

When I first moved to the neighbourhood, I would walk our dog before going to work. More than once, I lost my way meandering and wandering the oak tree-lined streets of what I can proudly refer to as my ’hood.

Armande Bourgeois Martine is a correspondent for Crescentwood. Reach her at 1martine789@gmail.com