After a fire in November 1910 destroyed the Brandon Asylum for the Insane in Brandon, construction began almost immediately on a replacement, designed by provincial architect Samuel Hooper. This massive, three-storey brick and stone Parkland Building, capable of accommodating nearly 700 patients, was built by local contractors William Bell, ? Clark (Clark Construction Company), and Charles Wesley Hall. It opened in 1912.
The building is now part of the north campus for the Assiniboine Community College.
The newly constructed Parkland Building (circa 1912)
Source: Archives of Manitoba, Brandon - Buildings - Provincial - Brandon Mental Health Centre #14, N14778.
Postcard view of the Parkland Building (no date)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough, 2019-0072
Workers in front of the Parkland Building during renovations (no date)
Source: Brad Coe, Village of Hartney
Postcard view of the Parkland Building (no date)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough, 2015-0080
Parkland Building (August 2023)
Source: Eva Janssen
Parkland Building (August 2023)
Source: Eva JanssenSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.86933, W99.93546
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Samuel Hooper (1851-1911)
Memorable Manitobans: William Bell (1863-1936)
Memorable Manitobans: Charles Wesley Hall (1866-1945)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Brandon Reformatory for Boys / Brandon Asylum for the Insane / Brandon Hospital for Mental Diseases / Brandon Mental Health Centre (First Street, Brandon)
Manitoba Organization: Brandon Vocational Training Centre / Manitoba Vocational Training Centre / Assiniboine Community College
Buildings at the Brandon Mental Health Centre by David Butterfield and Randy Rostecki, Manitoba Historic Resources Branch, November 1988.
History of the Brandon Mental Health Centre, 1891-1991 by Kurtland Refvik, BMHC Historical Museum, 1991.
We thank Eva Janssen for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 13 September 2023
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