The Fraser Block is the oldest building still standing on Brandon’s Rosser Avenue. It is an excellent example of commercial construction in southern Manitoba in the late 1800s.

In 1890 the Fraser Block was built as a dry goods store for Alexander Cumming Fraser and his company, A.C. Fraser & Co. Designed by local architect W.R. Marshall, the three-storey structure cost $13,000. Contractor H.W. Wheeldon built the structure out of brick and sandstone from Calgary.

Designed in the Romanesque Revival style, a popular choice for commercial blocks at the time, it has an eye-catching front elevation. Simple pilasters break up the space along the façade, separating the windows and framing the arch that is almost at the center of the façade. The off-centered nature of the façade is likely the result of unfilled plans to add a western addition.

For twenty years, Fraser was a leading local retailer in the community. He was Mayor of Brandon in 1888, an MP in 1897, and then Mayor again in 1901. He sold his company to Isaiah Strome in 1911, becoming publisher of Brandon’s daily newspaper and then a police magistrate.

A variety of tenants have occupied the Fraser Block over the past century, including Rapid City Academy (a forerunner of Brandon University), Chrest’s Dry Cleaning, and a bookstore.