Completed in 1898 by building contractor H. W. Wheeldon based on a design by local architect William Richard Marshall, this Brandon landmark was the premises of Alexander Cumming Fraser and Company, one of the city’s leading department stores. When it was known as the Fraser Block, the building was also one of the earliest locations of the Rapid City Academy, a forerunner of Brandon University.
The building was renamed the Chrest Block by owner William Chrest. His sons Norman, Chris, and Nick operated a dry-cleaning business there until the early 1970s. Designated as a municipal heritage site in 1988, it was later home to a bookstore.
Fraser Block / Chrest Block (October 2012)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Fraser Block / Chrest Block (May 2018)
Source: George Penner
Fraser Block / Chrest Block (August 2023)
Source: Eva Janssen
Fraser Block / Chrest Block (August 2023)
Source: Eva JanssenSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.84852, W99.95227
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Brandon College and Clark Hall Buildings (270 Eighteenth Street, Brandon)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites
Fraser Block (Chrest Block), Manitoba Historic Resources Branch.
We thank Karen Chrest, George Penner, and Eva Janssen for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 14 September 2023
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