William Fowler arrived in Baldur, a Manitoba settlement named for the Scandinavian God Odin, in 1891. As president of the Manitoba Elevator Company, Fowler branched out into local business and opened a flour, feed, and bakery business. By 1895, his company had grown enough to buy out Alex Watson’s saddlery business. In the same year, he married Margaret Playfair and by 1897 they had begun construction on their family home.

Fowler House is an amalgamation of various architectural styles. The centered gable is reminiscent of gothic revival style architecture, while the Italianate style roof is identifiable by the flat top and brackets along the roofline. Brick was brought in from St. Boniface.

In 1899, Fowler had built the Fowler Block in downtown Baldur, just down the street from his home. The western half of the building was used for his personal business while the other portion was rented out. As the town’s postmaster, Baldur’s post office moved into the Fowler Block and remained there for 31 years – well past Fowler’s tenure as postmaster, as he retired in 1904.

The Fowler Block remained in the Fowler family until 1978, and the Fowler Home is now run as a bed and breakfast.