Discussions

On February 19th 1990 The City of Brandon designated the Burchill and Howey Block at 908 Rosser Avenue a Heritage site.  
 
The current Owners of Lots 18/20, Block 60, Plan 2 are Susan and Chris Campbell.  
 
By the turn of the twentieth century, Rosser Avenue, Brandon’s main commercial thoroughfare, was a lively street, lined with buildings of the finest of architectural quality.  
 
One block, between 9th and 10th streets was amongst the best, boasting a number of fine building facades. An example is the Burchill & Howey Block, built in 1906 and designed by notable Brandon architect, W. A. Elliott.  
 
Its owners originally used the main floor of the structure as a retail butcher shop until 1945 when the property was sold to the Gooden family who operated a retail men’s clothier business from the premises for almost 45 years.  
 
The design of the building is a study in elegant styling, with arched windows, decorative brick and stone bands and corbel tables set at the top of the parapet wall.  
 
The interior includes an atrium and staircase with detail railing leading from the second floor to the third floor, and a skylight located on the roof of the third floor.  
 
Note #1: In 1893 Alderman Coldwell introduced a Bye-law compelling local meat dealers to only operate inside corporation market stalls, the object explained the proposer was to receive revenue from the city owned compartments.  
 
The Byelaw would cause every Butcher in town to pay an annual fee of one hundred dollars for the privilege of selling their meat products at city venues instead of any other local establishment.  
 
Aldermen Reesor and Cameron objected to the precedent, while meat vendors Joseph Donaldson, Burchill and Howey, Chambers and Prizzell strenuously protested.  
 
Another trade’s person, (name unknown) scorned the city councilors forever constructing the stalls, saying, “without making a second mistake to try and cover the first one.”  
 
The city hall stalls remained unused.  
 
Note #2: In 1900, it was Exhibition week, when one of the attractions was a new piece of equipment called a “Biograph” which showed ‘moving pictures’.  
 
Included were unscheduled moments of animation as provided by the Burchill, and Howey delivery horse which ended a wild, rig smashing telephone pole wrecking gallop that ended with the equine beast with both forefeet located inside a plate glass window.  
 
This action required both the services of a Veterinarian Doctor and a professional Glazier.  
 
Source: City of Brandon website. Brandon a City by G. F. Barker.  
 
http://www.econdev.brandon.mb.ca/main.nsf/e23e545cb880816786256e7f004bbdc2/4ad87773f4e901978625713e0072b1b5/$FILE/Burchill%20&%20Howey.pdf