This two-storey brick building on Broadway Street in Holland in the Rural Municipality of Victoria, measuring 28 feet by 50 feet, was designed by Winnipeg architect George Creeford Browne. It was built in 1903 by contractor William Fairfax as a branch of the Union Bank of Canada.
In 1925, when the bank merged with the Royal Bank of Canada, it continued as a branch of the new company until closing on 31 December 1937. It was later renovated into a residential duplex. A two-year project by Thomas and Janice Burnett, begun in 2003, restored the structure to its former beauty.
The Burnetts began the project by removing all the accumulated renovations that had been made since the building was constructed. After the demolition was complete, they started with the bird's eye maple hardwood flooring, much of which was in excellent condition except in areas of high traffic, which had to be replaced. The floor was completely sanded and a natural stain was applied to return the original colour. Cherry wood cabinets were custom-built and installed by the Millshof Hutterite Colony. Intricate finishing work was needed to replicate door trim for ten-foot-high doors that had been cut to conform to eight-foot suspended ceilings from earlier renovations. Wood veneer on the front doors had deteriorated beyond repair so the Burnetts imported solid black walnut doors from British Columbia and added back the restored thumb latch hardware. Paint on the windows of the former manager’s office was labouriously removed to reveal the etched glass that surrounded the room. Copper coloured paint was sprayed on the original tin ceiling tiles and brushed on the raised tin moldings surrounding each tile.
The restored building, now known as McFeetors Centre, is the home of the Tiger Hills Art Gallery and Tiger Hills Arts Association.
Union Bank Building at Holland (1903)
Source: Holland, Manitoba: 1877-1967 by Holland History Book Committee, 1967, page 58.
Tiger Hills Arts Association Building (June 2010)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Tiger Hills Arts Association Building (October 2022)
Source: George Penner
Tiger Hills Arts Association Building (June 2023)
Source: Jordan Makichuk
Interior of the Tiger Hills Arts Association Building (October 2019)
Source: Gordon GoldsboroughSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.59762, W98.87938
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: George Creeford Browne (1852-1919)
Manitoba Business: Union Bank of Canada
Manitoba Business: Royal Bank of Canada
“Tenders for bank building,” Manitoba Free Press, 25 April 1903, page 8.
The Canadian Contract Record, Volume 14, 6 May, 1903, page 4.
Holland, Manitoba: 1877-1967 by Holland History Book Committee, 1967, pages 58-59.
R.M. of Victoria, Past & Present, Volume 1 by RM of Victoria History Book Committee, c2002, pages 95-96.
We thank Tim Worth, Jacqueline Pantel, and George Penner for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough, Thomas Burnett, and Jordan Makichuk.
Page revised: 10 December 2024
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