History

Killarney Turtle Mountain Arts Council

Heritage Home for the Arts

History

The Heritage Home for the Arts is more than 100 years old and is a wood-frame single-family dwelling. It is surrounded by mature trees and is located in the centre of Killarney’s tourist area. The Home has a rich history beginning in 1915 when it was built as the Demonstration Farm House. The Farm House housed the manager of the demonstration farm and operated until 1946. The property sits in the centre of the Killarney Agricultural Grounds with the Agricultural campgrounds to the east and north, ball diamonds and a horse race track to the south and Erin Park directly across the street to the west. The property is owned by the Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountain and is a designated heritage site.

Manitoba Municipal Heritage Site No. 77

Demonstration Farm House

44 Water Avenue

Killarney

Designation Date: February 10, 1992

Designation Authority: Killarney (Town)

Present Owner: Killarney-Turtle Mountain (R.M.)


“The Demonstration Farm House at Killarney is a rare surviving link to an early phase in Manitoba government’s efforts in agricultural research and education. The structure housed the manager of an agricultural demonstration facility established when George Lawrence, a Killarney pioneer, was Manitoba’s Minister of Agriculture. The purpose was to identify and promote farming practices and crop varieties suited to this particular region of the province. The large dwelling, with its prominent dormers and wide shady verandah, is a fine example of the typical four-square farmhouses built across southern Manitoba in the early 1900s. Although subject to various uses since the demonstration farm was closed in 1946, including as a Royal Canadian Mounted Police barracks, a private school and a museum the house retains much of its integrity and interior layout and character.”

http://www.gov.mb.ca/ch/hrb/mun/m077.html


The demonstration farm house ceased to operate in 1946 and following the vacating of the house by the RCMP, school and museum (run by the Turtle Mountain Flywheel Club), it began to fall into disrepair. In 2015, the Killarney Turtle Mountain Arts Council (KTMAC) approached the Municipality with a proposal for the restoration and rehabilitation of the Farm House. The Arts Council suggested that there was a community need for a facility to house and promote the arts and culture of the area. The restoration, rehabilitation and reuse of the Farm House would not only fill this need but would also serve to preserve an important heritage site in Killarney.

In October 2015, the Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountain agreed to support the restoration plans of the Heritage Demonstration House at the Agricultural Grounds into an arts centre. The KTMAC began to seek capital funding for the restoration and by September 2018, the Heritage Home for the Arts was open to the public.

The Heritage Home for the Arts is now an important part of Killarney and the region. With regular monthly exhibitions of local, regional and national artists, ongoing workshops, performances and other special events, the KTMAC hopes to bring the diverse world of art to all citizens of Killarney.