Building Location:
2148 Second Avenue
Whitehorse, YT Y1A1C5
Location Context:
The house was located next to the Old Legion Hall, which was demolished in 1994. It is the last private dwelling to occupy frontage on Second Avenue. The O’Connor House, a heritage house located across the street at the corner of Jarvis and Second Avenue, was also demolished in 1994. Refer to the McPherson House; and the Widdershin House. Moved off the property in December 1999.
Description:
Small One-storey Frame Dwelling
Architectural History:
It is a small L-shaped, wood-frame house with a gable roof. It has a unique bay window and cedar shingle siding covering vertical wood siding. Roll-on asphalt roofing and a wood sill foundation complete the structure.
In 1956, a rear addition to house was completed. The pantry was removed which altered the shape of the house. A shed roof canopy was also constructed over the Second Avenue entry.
Cultural History:
This residence is believed to have been constructed sometime prior to 1913. Longtime Whitehorse residents, the Krautschneiders, remained owners and occupiers until 1999 when the building was moved to the City of Whitehorse compound lot awaiting a new future. The property was owned originally by the B. Y. Land Co. and occupied by Mr. Cooper in 1914. Cooper constructed small boats on the waterfront which he sold to people going upstream to Dawson. Mrs. Sharp, a seamstress of some reputation, lived in the house for a brief period in 1918. In 1923, White Pass sold the property to Annie and Harry Chambers, who paid for the property by making installments in cord wood. Harry “Shorty” Chambers ran teams from Champagne to Whitehorse and built a house in 1924 on a nearby site. Mr. Chambers sold the north easterly 1/2 of the lot to Mrs. Kitty Bonnett in 1921. Robert Jones, a trapper, prospector, and labourer occupied the house until he sold it to Edith Krautschneider in 1947. The Krautschneiders came to Whitehorse during the construction of the Alaska Highway. Mr. Krautschneider, a labourer on the Alaska Highway for the American Army, drowned in Teslin Lake in 1946.
The house has deteriorated somewhat in the last few years; it sustained some damage to the north east corner after an automobile accident. George Krautschneider was the last occupant of the house.
The home was moved off its original location–the corner of Second and Strickland–to a Yukon Government compound lot on December 1, 1999 after the City of Whitehorse refused to offer assistance in preserving the old house despite the Frostbite Music Society requesting the building be saved for use as their office. The Yukon Government’s intervention at the last minute saved the home from the wrecking ball, but only provided a home for the building for a few months.
The Krautschneider house was eventually moved to the City of Whitehorse compound lot where it remains today.
Biographical Information:
Harry Shorty Chambers: Arrived in Whitehorse in 1899. Operated Pioneer Stables, one of the best in town; buying and selling horses and dogs, feed, and wood. Chambers ran teams of horses from Champagne to Whitehorse from 1904-1940, ending with the construction of the Alaska highway. He also operated a trading post at Champagne.
| Current Use: | Vacant |
| Past Use: | Residence |
| Condition: | Fair |
| Foundation/Floor: | Poor |
| Walls: | Fair |
| Windows/Doors: | Fair |
| Roof: | Good |