Constructed in 1888, the Sir Clifford Sifton House is one of few examples of the Second Empire style in Brandon. It features the style’s most distinguishable characteristic: a mansard roof. The roof is trimmed with moulding detail and interrupted by subtle dormers. The exterior details include a canopy, two canted bay windows, decorative voussoirs, and beautiful stained glass windows.
The home originally belonged to politician Sir Clifford Sifton. Sifton was a Brandon lawyer who was appointed to the Manitoba Legislature in 1888, the same year that the house was built. He served this role until 1896 when he was appointed to the House of Commons. As Minister of the Interior, Sifton was instrumental in the promotion of immigration to Western Canada. It is only fitting, then, that the second owner of the home, Charles W. Speers, worked as an immigration agent for the Dominion Government. Speers remained in the home until 1919. The building was converted to Melberflo Villa, an apartment complex, in the 1940s.