This beautiful Queen Anne-style home was built in 1908. The 2 ½ storey design features a gable and hip roof with gable-shaped dormers and wide eaves. The trim consists of bargeboard, friezes, and moulding detail. In typical Queen Anne fashion, the exterior is surrounded by a sweeping verandah supported by columns and topped with a pediment. The windows are embellished with decorative sills, surrounds and voussoirs. Ornamental and stained glass windows also accent the home. 363 8th Street is one of the only buildings in Brandon to have been constructed with sandstone brick.
The home originally belonged to Thomas Harkness. Harkness was considered an “old-timer”; he arrived in Brandon in 1882. He bred and sold horses for a number of years before becoming a real estate agent, dealing in the sale of farm land. Harkness and his wife, Agnes, had three children: Jack, Nellie, and Ruth. Thomas Harkness passed away in 1916, leaving the home to his wife. Agnes would reside at the address for another thirteen years.