The house on the southeast corner of 11th Street and Louise Avenue was built as the residence of John E. Smith, a well-known local horse breeder. Around the rum of the century horse breeding was a major enterprise in the Brandon area, and, if this house is any indication, a lucrative one as well. Family tradition holds that the house was a copy of a relative's home in Brussels, Ontario. The building's prominent tower and overall large size cause the structure to stand out, but it is the overhanging gables supported by knee braces and the large verandah with its bulbous Tuscan columns that are architecturally noteworthy. From the 1950s until 1984 the building housed the Brandon Allied Art Centre. Since then it has served as a community group home, the Welcome Inn.
With small houses and narrow lots on the east side and substantially larger houses on the west, the 300 block of 11th Street offers a study in contrasts. In recent years the contrast has become one of physical upkeep as well. The large front window on the otherwise small brick cottage at 337 11th Street sets it apart from all the others on that side of the street. Perhaps it was originally designed to be a commercial establishment such as a dressmaker or tailor shop.