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La Rivière Canadian Pacific Railway Station

Pembina, Manitoba, R0G, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1994/04/18

Primary elevations, from the northeast, of the La Rivière Canadian Pacific Railway Stations, La Rivière area, 2006; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport, 2006
Primary Elevations
East elevation of the La Rivière Canadian Pacific Railway Stations, La Rivière area, 2006; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport, 2006
East Elevation
No Image

Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1898/01/01 to 1898/12/31

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2006/08/18

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The La Riviere Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Station, completed in 1898, is a large wood-frame building on a museum site near La Riviere. The provincial designation applies to the two-storey building and the land on which it sits.

Heritage Value

The La Riviere CPR Station, Manitoba's only remaining combined station and agent's residence built from the CPR's standard Plan #3 design, is a strong visual link with La Riviere's heritage as a railway centre and with its cultural roots. The minimally adorned structure, composed of a two-storey waiting room/residence and one-storey freight shed, is distinguished by its French-Canadian-influenced mansard roof and pronounced bracketed platform eaves. With its exterior and main floor now carefully restored, the building recalls the role of the railway in the development of communities and the role of train stations in the life of prairie villages. La Riviere was a divisional point with a busy passenger and freight schedule and the railway provided employment for many, as well as vital communication and transportation links.

Source: Manitoba Heritage Council Minutes: September 6, 1984

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the exterior character and railway function of the La Riviere CPR Station include:
- the complex massing composed of a two-storey rectangular block under a mansard roof, a one-storey hip-roofed extension to one side and a long narrow shed-roofed extension at the rear
- the prominent roof features, including shed dormers, eaves along the platform side extended into a sheltering canopy supported by sturdy graceful brackets and wood shingles
- the durable wood-frame construction and standard materials, such as horizontal wood siding trimmed with plain corner boards painted in authentic CPR colours
- the abundant fenestration highlighted by the projecting telegraph bay lined with windows, the glazed panel and transom enhancing the main entrance, a ribbon of small windows over the platform freight door, and various tall rectangular sash openings with multi-paned uppers, all in plain wood surrounds in contrasting dark and light paint colours
- the large freight room doors, both of vertical planking, including the sliding X-braced platform door and the double-hinged end door
- details such as the painted plank 'La Riviere' sign at one end, the name 'LA RIVIERE.' painted on the mansard roof at the opposite end, etc.

Key elements that define the station's interior heritage character include:
- the elongated rectangular plan encompassing an office and work area set between the waiting and freight rooms, and the agent's residence in the rear extension and on the second floor
- the freight room's high ceilings, visible structural elements, locked storage area, various storage shelves, etc.
- the spacious but plainly finished waiting room with painted wood floors, a wicket and shelf for ticket purchases, etc.
- the functionally arranged office area, including the agent's workstation in the telegraph bay with a clear view of the platform and close access to the wicket with its service window and built-in drawer
- the two-level residence accessed from either the office or a rear entrance and by stairways off the rear extension and the freight room
- the utilitarian materials, finishes and details, including the painted wood doors, trim and flooring, the upper-floor windows, the exposed plumbing and electrical conduits, the radiators, etc.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Manitoba

Recognition Authority

Province of Manitoba

Recognition Statute

Manitoba Historic Resources Act

Recognition Type

Provincial Heritage Site

Recognition Date

1994/04/18

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Developing Economies
Communications and Transportation

Function - Category and Type

Current

Leisure
Museum

Historic

Transport-Rail
Station or Other Rail Facility

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

RM of Pembina 315 Main Street Box 189 Manitou MB R0G 1G0

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

P081

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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