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Victor William Horwood
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Architect.
Born at Frome, Somersetshire, England on 27 February 1878, son of Harry Horwood and Ellen Mary Long, he came to Canada with his parents at the age of 16 and was educated at the public school and Collegiate Institute of Prescott, Ontario. He was an art student at New York, Chicago, Ottawa, Toronto and studied architecture with E. L. Horwood at Ottawa, Ontario. He came to Manitoba in 1904 and worked as an architect.
In 1911, he was appointed Provincial Architect following the death of Samuel Hooper. In 1914 he wrote a history of the Manitoba Architects Association, of which he served as Vice President. He became a central figure in the Royal Commission hearing into corruption during the building of the Legislative Building. His story disagreed with that of other witnesses, but the Commission chose to believe him. He remained Provincial Architect until 1924 when he was succeeded by Gilbert Parfitt.
On 18 September 1906, he married Claratina “Clara” Taylor (1885-1956), daughter of Thomas William Taylor. They had no children. He was an active snowshoer and was captain in the militia in 1911. He was a member of the IOOF, Masons, Knights of Pythias, and Military Institute (serving as Captain of the 90th Winnipeg Rifles). He served as President of the Manitoba Art Association.
He died at his home at Matlock on 15 March 1939 and was buried in the Brookside Cemetery. His papers are in the Archives of Manitoba.
Some of his architectural works in Manitoba included:
Building |
Location |
Year |
Status |
Bell Block |
370 Donald Street, Winnipeg |
1905 |
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Birt House (W. Chandler Birt) |
Cathedral Avenue, Winnipeg |
1905 |
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Park View Block |
403 Carlton Street, Winnipeg |
1905 |
Demolished (1968) |
Ryan Block |
405 Carlton Street at Cumberland Avenue, Winnipeg |
1905 |
Demolished (?) |
Simpson House |
556 Bannatyne Avenue, Winnipeg |
1905 |
Demolished (?) |
Virden School |
Virden |
1905 |
Demolished (?) |
St. Boniface City Hall |
219 Provencher Boulevard, Winnipeg |
1905-1906 |
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Kingdon House (Abraham E. Kingdon) |
197 Yale Avenue, Winnipeg |
1906 |
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St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church |
677 Notre Dame Avenue, Winnipeg |
1906 |
Demolished (c1971) |
East Kildonan School |
1110 Henderson Highway, Winnipeg |
1906 |
Demolished (?) |
St. Boniface Fire Hall No. 2 / Police Station |
328 Tache Avenue, Winnipeg |
1906 |
Demolished (?) |
Moxam Court |
280-286 River Avenue, Winnipeg |
1906-1907 |
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St. Boniface Fire Hall No. 1 |
212 Dumoulin Street, Winnipeg |
1907 |
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MacKinnon House |
114 Balmoral Street, Winnipeg |
1907 |
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Ivan Court |
390 River Avenue, Winnipeg |
1908 |
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East Kildonan School |
1110 Henderson Highway, Winnipeg |
1908 |
Demolished (?) |
Stovel House (Augustus B. Stovel) |
34 Avonherst Street, Winnipeg |
1909 |
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Waldron Court |
544 Broadway, Winnipeg |
1909 |
Demolished (1980) |
Shipman Court |
543 Bannatyne Avenue, Winnipeg |
1909 |
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Stovel House (Chester D. Stovel) |
6 Ruskin Row, Winnipeg |
1910 |
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St. Albans Anglican Church (expansion) |
468 Rathgar Avenue, Winnipeg |
1910 |
Demolished (1950) |
MacMillan Court |
469 Kennedy Street, Winnipeg |
1910 |
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Ryan House |
99 Middle Gate, Winnipeg |
1910 |
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Virden Collegiate Institute |
Virden |
1910 |
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Stovel House |
6 Ruskin Row, Winnipeg |
1910 |
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Toronto Type Foundry Building |
175 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg |
1910 |
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Great Western Electric Building / Ryan Brothers Building |
110 James Avenue, Winnipeg |
1910 |
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Haselmere Apartments |
559 Ellice Avenue, Winnipeg |
1910 |
Demolished (?) |
Vansittart Apartments |
348 Stradbrook Avenue, Winnipeg |
1910 |
Demolished (?) |
Law Courts Building |
Broadway, Winnipeg |
1911-1912 |
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Agricultural College Building |
66 Chancellors Circle, Winnipeg |
1911-1913 |
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Agricultural College Powerhouse |
33 Maclean Crescent, Winnipeg |
1912 |
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Agricultural Engineering Building |
96 Dafoe Road, Winnipeg |
1912 |
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Engineering I Building |
75B Chancellors Circle, Winnipeg |
1912 |
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Horticulture and Biology Building |
35 Chancellors Circle, Winnipeg |
1912 |
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Tache Hall |
150 Dafoe Road, Winnipeg |
1912 |
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Dauphin Land Titles Building |
308 Main Street South, Dauphin |
1912 |
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Smith Court |
79 Smith Street, Winnipeg |
1912 |
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Principal’s Residence |
177 Dysart Road, Winnipeg |
1912-1913 |
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Stonewall Land Titles Office / Town Hall |
Stonewall |
1912-1913 |
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Chemistry and Physics Building |
55 Chancellors Circle, Winnipeg |
1913 |
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Agriculture Lecture Block |
38 Dafoe Road, Winnipeg |
1913 |
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Dairy Science Building |
112 Dafoe Road, Winnipeg |
1913 |
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All Saints Anglican Church |
Whytewold, Dunnottar |
1922 |
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See also:
Victor William Horwood, Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
Sources:
Marriage registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Who’s Who in Western Canada: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women of Western Canada, Volume 1, edited by C. W. Parker, Vancouver: Canadian Press Association, 1911.
“New provincial architect named,” Manitoba Free Press, 1 November 1911, page 5.
“Victor W. Horwood succumbs Wednesday at Matlock Beach,” Winnipeg Free Press, 15 March 1939, page 5.
The Story of Manitoba by F. H. Schofield, Winnipeg: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1913.
Obituary [Clara Horwood], Winnipeg Free Press, 9 November 1956, page 39.
Crescentwood, A History by R. R. Rostecki, Winnipeg: Crescentwood Home Owners Association, 1993.
Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.
Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950 by Robert G. Hill, Toronto.
We thank Nathan Kramer, George Penner, Gail Singleton, Jordan Makichuk, and Terri Smith for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 7 August 2023
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