Memorable Manitobans: Victor William Horwood (1878-1939)

Victor William Horwood Click to enlarge

Architect.

Born at Frome, Somersetshire, England on 27 February 1878, son of Harry Horwood and Ellen Mary Long, he came to Canada with his parents at the age of 16 and was educated at the public school and Collegiate Institute of Prescott, Ontario. He was an art student at New York, Chicago, Ottawa, Toronto and studied architecture with E. L. Horwood at Ottawa, Ontario. He came to Manitoba in 1904 and worked as an architect.

In 1911, he was appointed Provincial Architect following the death of Samuel Hooper. In 1914 he wrote a history of the Manitoba Architects Association, of which he served as Vice President. He became a central figure in the Royal Commission hearing into corruption during the building of the Legislative Building. His story disagreed with that of other witnesses, but the Commission chose to believe him. He remained Provincial Architect until 1924 when he was succeeded by Gilbert Parfitt.

On 18 September 1906, he married Claratina “Clara” Taylor (1885-1956), daughter of Thomas William Taylor. They had no children. He was an active snowshoer and was captain in the militia in 1911. He was a member of the IOOF, Masons, Knights of Pythias, and Military Institute (serving as Captain of the 90th Winnipeg Rifles). He served as President of the Manitoba Art Association.

He died at his home at Matlock on 15 March 1939 and was buried in the Brookside Cemetery. His papers are in the Archives of Manitoba.

Some of his architectural works in Manitoba included:

Building	Location	Year	Status
W. Chandler Birt Residence	Cathedral Avenue, Winnipeg	1905
Virden School	Virden	1905	Demolished (?)
St. Boniface City Hall	219 Provencher Boulevard, Winnipeg	1905-1906
Abraham E. Kingdon Residence	197 Yale Avenue, Winnipeg	1906
St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church	Pearl at Notre Dame, Winnipeg	1906
East Kildonan School	1110 Henderson Highway, Winnipeg	1906	Demolished (?)
St. Boniface Fire Hall No. 2 / Police Station	328 Tache Avenue, Winnipeg	1906	Demolished (?)
Moxam Court	280-286 River Avenue, Winnipeg	1906-1907
St. Boniface Fire Hall No. 1	212 Dumoulin Street, Winnipeg	1907
MacKinnon House	114 Balmoral Street, Winnipeg	1907
Ivan Court	River Avenue, Winnipeg	1908
East Kildonan School	1110 Henderson Highway, Winnipeg	1908	Demolished (?)
Augustus B. Stovel Residence	34 Avonherst Street, Winnipeg	1909
Waldron Court	Broadway, Winnipeg	1909
Chester D. Stovel Residence	6 Ruskin Row, Winnipeg	1910
St. Albans Anglican Church (expansion)	468 Rathgar Avenue, Winnipeg	1910	Demolished (1950)
McMillan Court	Kennedy Street, Winnipeg	1910
Virden Collegiate Institute	Virden	1910
Stovel House	6 Ruskin Row, Winnipeg	1910
Toronto Type Foundry Building	175 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg	1910
Great Western Electric Building / Ryan Brothers Building	110 James Avenue, Winnipeg	1910
Law Courts Building	Broadway, Winnipeg	1911-1912
Agricultural College Building	66 Chancellors Circle, Winnipeg	1911-1913
Agricultural College Powerhouse	33 Maclean Crescent, Winnipeg	1912
Agricultural Engineering Building	96 Dafoe Road, Winnipeg	1912
Engineering I Building	75B Chancellors Circle, Winnipeg	1912
Horticulture and Biology Building	35 Chancellors Circle, Winnipeg	1912
Tache Hall	150 Dafoe Road, Winnipeg	1912
Dauphin Land Titles Building	308 Main Street South, Dauphin	1912
Principal’s Residence	177 Dysart Road, Winnipeg	1912-1913
Stonewall Land Titles Office / Town Hall	Stonewall	1912-1913
Chemistry and Physics Building	55 Chancellors Circle, Winnipeg	1913
Agriculture Lecture Block	38 Dafoe Road, Winnipeg	1913
Dairy Science Building	112 Dafoe Road, Winnipeg	1913
All Saints Anglican Church	Whytewold, Dunnottar	1922

See also:

Victor William Horwood, Dictionary of Canadian Biography.

Sources:

Marriage registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Who’s Who in Western Canada: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women of Western Canada, Volume 1, edited by C. W. Parker, Vancouver: Canadian Press Association, 1911.

“New provincial architect named,” Manitoba Free Press, 1 November 1911, page 5.

“Victor W. Horwood succumbs Wednesday at Matlock Beach,” Winnipeg Free Press, 15 March 1939, page 5.

The Story of Manitoba by F. H. Schofield, Winnipeg: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1913.

Obituary [Clara Horwood], Winnipeg Free Press, 9 November 1956, page 39.

Crescentwood, A History by R. R. Rostecki, Winnipeg: Crescentwood Home Owners Association, 1993.

Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.

Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950 by Robert G. Hill, Toronto.

We thank Nathan Kramer, George Penner, and Gail Singleton for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 7 February 2021

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