Memorable Manitobans: Walter Henderson Shillinglaw (1864-1957)

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Walter Henderson Shillinglaw
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Engineer, architect.

Born at Staffa, Ontario on 29 September 1864, son of James Shillinglaw (1832-1910) and Elizabeth Deans (1837-1897), he was educated at Albany, Missouri before moving with his family to Portage la Prairie in 1880 then to Brandon in March 1882. His father was a builder, and together they erected the family home in the east end of Brandon where he lived most of his life.

He attended the School of Science in Toronto for three years, after which he returned to Brandon in 1888 and began designing buildings, ranking as the city’s most important early architect as well as its longest-lived practitioner. From 1896 to 1909, he was civic engineer for the City of Brandon, being responsible for installation of bridges, sewers, and water works.

Returning to private practice in 1909 following a scandal arising from construction of the First Street Bridge, he joined David Marshall in the architectural firm of Shillinglaw and Marshall, which was responsible for the design of many important buildings in Brandon, including the Exhibition Building for the 1913 Dominion Fair. After military service in the First World War from 1916 to 1918, in which he rose to the rank of Major, he returned to his architectural practice.

On 19 September 1899, he married nurse Elizabeth Monteith (1865-1950) at Virden. They had no children. He was a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, Brandon Curling Club, and Presbyterian church. His recreations included golf, curling, and rifle shooting. He served on the Brandon city council (c1913).

He died at Brandon on 20 November 1957 and was buried in the Brandon Cemetery.

Some of his architectural works in Manitoba included:

Building

Location

Year

Status

Fleming House / Villa Louise

707 Louise Avenue, Brandon

1888

 

Alexander Presbyterian Church

Alexander, RM of Whitehead

1889

 

East Ward School

Fourth Street, Brandon

1889

 

West Ward School

Fifteenth Street, Brandon

1889

 

Brandon Land Titles Building

705 Princess Avenue, Brandon

1890

 

Central School

Lorne Avenue, Brandon

1891

 

McDonald Block

841 Rosser Avenue, Brandon

1892

 

Douglas Methodist Church

Douglas, RM of Elton

1893

 

Melita School No. 440

41 Ash Street, Melita

1893

 

Oakwood School No. 439

Oak Lake, RM of Sifton

1893

 

Souris School No. 285

Souris

1894

 

Carberry School No. 125

Carberry

1895

 

Brandon Hills Union Church

RM of Cornwallis

1896

 

Griswold Presbyterian Church

Griswold, RM of Sifton

1896-1898

 

Griswold School No. 425

Griswold, RM of Sifton

1897

 

Cartwright School No. 174

Cartwright

1897

 

Crystal City School No. 107

Crystal City

1898

 

Altona School No. 333

Altona

1899

 

Fowler Block

225 Elizabeth Street, Baldur, RM of Argyle

1899

 

Pipestone School No. 737

Pipestone, RM of Pipestone

1899

 

St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church

321 Eighth Street, Brandon

1900-1901

Destroyed by fire (1986)

Beresford Village School No. 1130

Beresford, RM of Whitehead

1901

 

Zink Block

825-829 Rosser Avenue, Brandon

1902

 

Rathwell School No. 578

Rathwell, RM of South Norfolk

1903

 

Graham House

706 Lorne Avenue, Brandon

1903

 

Administration Building, Ninette Sanatorium

Ninette, RM of Strathcona

1908-1909

 

Brandon Fire Hall No. 2

603 Eleventh Street, Brandon

1908-1909

 

Oakwood School No. 439 (expansion)

Oak Lake, RM of Sifton

1909

 

Alexander School No. 338

Alexander, RM of Whitehead

1912

 

Maley House

1605 Victoria Avenue, Brandon

1912

 

McCreary Automotive Building

1133 Princess Avenue, Brandon

1912

 

Dominion Exhibition Display Building II

Brandon Fair Grounds

1913

 

Fleming School

2320 Louise Avenue, Brandon

1914-1915

 

First Presbyterian Church

339 Twelfth Street, Brandon

1928

 

Earl Haig School

First Street, Brandon

1928

Demolished (1988)

Earl Oxford School

540 Eighteenth Street, Brandon

1928-1929

 

Dominion Post Office Building (supervision)

1039 Princess Avenue, Brandon

1929-1930

 

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Shillinglaw House (302 Russell Street, Brandon)

Sources:

Marriage registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

A History of Manitoba: Its Resources and People by Prof. George Bryce, Toronto: The Canadian History Company, 1906.

“Plaintiff awarded one dollar damages,” Brandon Sun, 25 March 1909, page 10.

“Old timer dead,” Brandon Sun, 8 September 1910, page 2.

1911 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.

The Story of Manitoba by F. H. Schofield, Winnipeg: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1913.

Who's Who and Why, Volumes 6 and 7, 1915-1916, pages 732-733.

Attestation papers, Canadian Expeditionary Force, Library and Archives Canada.

Obituary [Mrs. W. H. Shillinglaw], Brandon Sun, 13 February 1950, page 9.

“Pioneer architect dies at 93,” Brandon Sun, 21 November 1957, page 2.

Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.

Holy Ground: The Story of the Manitoba Sanatorium at Ninette by David B. Stewart, J. A. Victor David Museum, 1999.

Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950 by Robert G. Hill, Toronto.

We thank Nathan Kramer and Jordan Makichuk for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 8 September 2024

Memorable Manitobans

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