Arrand Block

Description of the Historic Place

The Arrand Block features a three-storey, Classically inspired, brick apartment building, which was constructed in 1912. The building is located in the neighbourhood of Nutana. A small garage is located on the rear of the lot.

This historic place, located at 520 - 524 11th Street East, was designated as a Municipal Heritage Property in 1989. The designation is limited to the exterior of the building.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Arrand Block resides primarily in the building's architecture, which is an excellent example of a luxurious, neo-Classical, mid-rise apartment building. Built by the prominent James and Walter T. Arrand Contractors' Company during the city's 1910-1912 building boom, the Arrand Block is unique in Saskatoon and its elegance reflects the fact that the Arrand cousins intended to reside in the building themselves. The structure's neo-Classical columns, which support ornate balconies, accentuate the unique design of the building, which was divided into three large, two-storey apartments with three suites on the top floor. The apartments originally had both front and back verandas, and although the back verandas were enclosed in 1926 to make sun rooms, the original form and character of the building have been maintained. The upper-suite skylights, luxurious for their time, remain in place today, as does the circular iron fire escape, which is nestled between the back verandas. The decorative entablature sits prominently atop the concrete columns and highlights the unique design of the building. Retaining much of its original charm, the Arrand Block remains one of the few "boom time" apartment buildings from an era when many commercial and residential structures began to dominate Saskatoon's major streetscapes.

The heritage value of this building also lies in its association with the Arrand family, who were prominent contractors and well-known concrete specialists in Saskatoon. As owners of one of Saskatoon's major construction companies, the Arrand cousins were contractors for several notable structures in the city, including the Broadway Bridge, the University's Memorial Gates, the Saskatoon School for the Deaf, and the now demolished Capitol Theatre.

Source: City of Saskatoon Bylaw No.7029 / City of Saskatoon Built Heritage Database / Canadian Register of Historic Places

Character Defining Elements

Key elements which contribute to the heritage value of this historic resource include:

• Its Neo-Classical style of architecture, evident in: its three-storey, white, concrete-enclosed columns, the decorative entablature (cornice, frieze, architrave), the linteled windows, ornate balconies, the enclosed back verandas, and the upper suite skylights, its brick masonry and the original circular iron fire escape.