Former prime minister's home up for sale in Manitoba, fully restored to its original look
There is a chance someone could own a piece of history in Portage la Prairie, Man., as the home of Canada's ninth prime minister is on the market – completely restored to its original look.
The home located at 131 Dufferin Avenue East once belonged to Arthur Meighen, who was prime minister on two separate occasions, from 1920 to 1921 and in 1926 from June to September.
Eric Vieweg is the current owner and since 1993, when he and his family bought the home, he has been working to restore its natural look.
"It was really neglected, it was divided up into apartments. It was really rundown…it looked like a really derelict building," said Vieweg. "But the price was very reasonable and at that time, I was young and stupid and I guess I thought, we could fix this up."
The home of former prime minister Arthur Meighen, located at 131 Dufferin Avenue East in Portage la Prairie, is for sale. (Source: Home Viewtube/realtor.ca)
Before becoming an accountant, Vieweg was a cabinetmaker and those skills helped him restore much of the home with the original material. What he couldn't salvage, he replaced, making it look the same as it once was.
He said he was inspired to bring the house back to life after receiving pictures of the home and what it looked like in the 1920s.
"It looked completely different to what it looked like, at the time, in the late 90s…but to see that house the way it was in the 20s was an inspiration. That kind of made me realize, 'Oh, instead of doing a reno, let's restore it to how it looked.'"
The home of former prime minister Arthur Meighen, located at 131 Dufferin Avenue East in Portage la Prairie, is for sale. (Source: Home Viewtube/realtor.ca)
He said the front half of the main level is completely authentic to the 1920s. If areas like the kitchen needed to be upgraded – like removing a big wood stove – Vieweg still made it fit the right era with modern amenities.
The home also features the original cast-iron tub in the bathroom.
"So the prime minister would have bathed in that tub. So that's kind of cool."
The restoration allowed Vieweg to continue to flex his creative muscles, to the point where his workstation was in the living room for more than 10 years.
The home of former prime minister Arthur Meighen, located at 131 Dufferin Avenue East in Portage la Prairie, is for sale. (Source: Home Viewtube/realtor.ca)
"I'd come home and that was my release, my stress release, my fix for creativity. So it was a good balance, and I guess that's what kept me going."
He added the house cost him a lot of money, but he is proud of the work he has done.
Now, the home is listed for $449,500, and Vieweg said it's bittersweet to be moving on from a home he has put so much time and effort into.
"It was good, you know. We were never bored, but yeah, that chapter of my life is over."
Vieweg hopes that a family purchases the home, saying it has a lot of bedrooms and he feels it should be enjoyed by a family.
As for the next chapter of Vieweg's life, now that the work is done and he is retired, he said he plans on taking a sailboat and sailing around the Caribbean with his partner.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Bob Cole, veteran CBC broadcaster and former voice of 'Hockey Night in Canada,' dead at 90
Bob Cole, legendary CBC broadcaster and former voice of Hockey Night in Canada, has died. He was 90.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.