Napinka School
Souris Street
Napinka

Designation Date: January 12, 1994
Designation Authority: Brenda (R.M.)
Present Owner: Napinka Drop-In Centre

Imposing in presence and materiality, Napinka School is a rare example in Manitoba of an early school based on a two-room plan and constructed of fieldstone rather than the more common wooden frame and walls. The substantial vernacular building, with its basic form and high, well-lit basement, was one of the last large rural structures built before schools in the province began to follow standardized plans. Typical of its era, the facility accommodated multigrade classes, with ‘lower’ school pupils on the main floor and high school students and a library in the basement; each level with its own entrance. The building, one of the last remaining schools from ca. 1900 in Manitoba’s southwest corner, was developed using local materials and the skills of local labour, notably stonemason I.J. Phinney, who undertook much of the work.