The owners of the Hollenberg Cottage in Loni Beach held a small celebration a few weeks ago after they received a sign from the Rural Municipality of Gimli indicating the heritage status of their cottage, an architecturally unique building constructed in the early 20th century.
Jonathan Sher and his partner Janet Finegar had applied to the RM of Gimli in 2023 to have their cottage at 24 North Lake St. designated a heritage site and were approved.
The municipality issues distinctive yellow-trimmed blue signs to heritage properties to indicate their special status. Local handyman Don Steinmetz installed the Hollenberg Cottage sign on an outbuilding near the street as the owners celebrated the final chapter of their heritage-status journey.
The cottage may appear somewhat nondescript from the outside, but it’s a feast for the eyes inside. The central room is lined with pine and has high windows that let the sun stream in. There’s a wall of windows in the sun porch that faces Lake Winnipeg. And the kitchen has a red and white checkerboard floor, white bench seating and an old range.
Sher previously told the Express (see Oct. 26, 2023, online edition) that the cottage had come into his family’s possession likely around 1945 when his grandfather Dr. Joseph Hollenberg bought it.
The couple had asked the Gimli Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee (MHAC) – a volunteer committee that advises Gimli council on heritage matters – for assistance on how to designate their cottage a heritage site. Heritage buildings are subject to strict rules in terms of modifications or upgrades in order to preserve their unique architectural features.
Past MHAC chair Andy Blicq had researched the history of building and organized the procurement of the sign. He said that at the time Sher and his partner had put in their application for heritage status, it was thought the building had been constructed around 1912. But that was revised to 1921 through subsequent research.
“We did a lot of research at land titles but it wasn’t entirely clear when the cottage was built. And we looked at different owners over the years. There’s a picture of the cottage in a book that gave us a suggested date of 1925 but we felt that was a bit late. We feel comfortable that 1921 is a pretty accurate date,” said Blicq. “If information comes forward showing it was a different date, we’ll change it.”
