Memorable Manitobans: Victor William Horwood (1878-1939)

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Victor William Horwood
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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

Bell Block

370 Donald Street, Winnipeg

1905

 

Birt House (W. Chandler Birt)

Cathedral Avenue, Winnipeg

1905

 

Park View Block

403 Carlton Street, Winnipeg

1905

Demolished (1968)

Ryan Block

405 Carlton Street at Cumberland Avenue, Winnipeg

1905

Demolished (?)

Simpson House

556 Bannatyne Avenue, Winnipeg

1905

Demolished (?)

Virden School

Virden

1905

Demolished (?)

St. Boniface City Hall

219 Provencher Boulevard, Winnipeg

1905-1906

 

Kingdon House (Abraham E. Kingdon)

197 Yale Avenue, Winnipeg

1906

 

St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church

677 Notre Dame Avenue, Winnipeg

1906

Demolished (c1971)

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

390 River Avenue, Winnipeg

1908

 

East Kildonan School

1110 Henderson Highway, Winnipeg

1908

Demolished (?)

Stovel House (Augustus B. Stovel)

34 Avonherst Street, Winnipeg

1909

 

Waldron Court

544 Broadway, Winnipeg

1909

Demolished (1980)

Shipman Court

543 Bannatyne Avenue, Winnipeg

1909

 

Great Western Electric Building / Ryan Brothers Building

110 James Avenue, Winnipeg

1910

 

Haslemere Apartments

559-561 Ellice Avenue, Winnipeg

1910

Destroyed by fire (18 January 1974)

MacMillan Court

469 Kennedy Street, Winnipeg

1910

 

Ryan House

99 Middle Gate, Winnipeg

1910

 

St. Albans Anglican Church (expansion)

468 Rathgar Avenue, Winnipeg

1910

Demolished (1950)

Stovel House

6 Ruskin Row, Winnipeg

1910

 

Toronto Type Foundry Building

175 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg

1910

 

Vansittart Apartments

348 Stradbrook Avenue, Winnipeg

1910

Demolished (?)

Virden Collegiate Institute

Virden

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

 

Smith Court

79 Smith Street, Winnipeg

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, Gail Singleton, Jordan Makichuk, and Terri Smith for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 12 February 2024

Memorable Manitobans

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