South Bay School
Winnipegosis area,
SW 26-31-19W

Designation Date: August 10, 1995
Designation Authority: The R.M. of Mossey River
Present Owner: South Bay Community Centre

It looks like a basic one-room school, simple and plain, but South Bay School is also a reminder of the careful attention to design and cost that the Department of Education observed over the course of 30 years. Beginning in 1903, when the first standardized plans were commissioned by the Department, and extending for three decades after that, authorities undertook to provide local children with the best facilities possible. Through many permutations and combinations over those years, a variety of standardized designs were provided. In the late 1920s, it was this design that gained popularity.

The simple rectangular plan and gable roof were efficient for holding students and for reducing construction costs. The band of windows on the south side ensured that students’ eyes were not damaged by cross-lighting. And the entry vestibule set along the side of the building created a continuous roof surface, a popular feature of domestic architecture of the day. The school was closed during the consolidation movement of the 1950s and 60s. In 1966, however, South Bay Community Centre ensured that the building was preserved. The Centre uses the old school for a variety of community functions and has now ensured that the former South Bay School remains as a vibrant reminder of the past.