908 Rosser Avenue
(Lots 18/20, Block 60, Plan 2)
Brandon, Manitoba
Designation Date: February 19, 1990
Designation Authority: The City of Brandon
By the turn of the twentieth century, Rosser Avenue, Brandon’s main commercial thoroughfare, was a lively street lined with buildings of the finest 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 1902 and designed by notable Brandon architect W. A. Elliott.
The main floor of the structure was originally occupied by Burchill & Howey, a meat market owned by cousins William Burchill and John Howey who had established their business in the city in 1884. The shop remained here until 1945 when the property was sold to the Gooden family who operated a men’s clothing store on the premises for nearly 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.
Only a portion of the original stone fence remains along the east and south borders of the block, but it remains an attractive enhancement to the surrounding properties and a unique characteristic of the downtown area.