This 1¾ storey house is believed to have been built in 1881 during the City’s first decade of settlement and was the homestead residence of one the first settlers of the area, James Arthur Johnston. This yellow brick structure reflects a variety of architectural styles, but the tall vertical narrow paired windows at the front of the building and the brick string course suggest that the predominant architectural style is Italianate Revival. The rear of the structure is of brick construction, while the front is a wood frame with a brick veneer. The foundation is a combination of various sized stones and gravel (rubble) with a mortar of lime and sand.
The home has had several owners who were significant to the economic and political development of Brandon. James Johnston was a farmer, cattle dealer, land broker and proprietor of Johnston Estates. He owned some 1,500 lots in the City which he sold as business and residential sites. Johnston was also an alderman on Brandon City Council from 1883 – 1885. The property was then owned from 1902 – 1922 by Archibald Charles Douglas, the County Court Baliff and later sold to Marion Doig, in 1941 where it remained in the Doig Family until its sale to the current owners in 1993. The Doig’s have been local proprietors in the City of Brandon since 1906.
This house is one of the oldest single family residences still occupied in Brandon and represents an important feature in the historic development of Brandon and its people.