Birks Building

Description of the Historic Place

The Birks Building is a four-storey brick structure that was built in 1929 for the well-established jewellery company - Henry Birks and Sons Ltd. Located on a corner lot at 165 3rd Avenue South, the Birks Building features Beaux-Arts influences, and is a prominent architectural and historical feature in Saskatoon’s downtown.

Heritage Value

Designed by Nobbs & Hyde, the Birks Building features elements of the Beaux-Arts style of architecture, a relatively rare style in Saskatoon. At the time of its construction, the Birks Building was considered to be one of the most up to date and fully modern structures of its kind, with an estimated construction cost of more than a quarter of a million dollars. The exterior of the building is beige brick, trimmed with marble and bronze and features a parapet roofline with arched crenellations. A flat canopy edged in metal is suspended over the entry door from decorative metal bosses.

In addition to its architectural style, the heritage value of the Birks Building lies in its association with Henry Birks and the jewellery company Henry Birks and Sons Ltd. Working with silver had been the traditional trade of the Birks family since the sixteenth century and what originally began as a family tradition in England continued with the families emigration to Canada. Henry Birks was born in Montreal in 1840, and began his career as an apprentice watchmaker and jeweler. In 1879 he opened his first store in Montreal, and expanded his business with the opening of a store in Ottawa in 1901.  In 1928 Henry Birks and Sons Ltd. purchased the business of W. G. Watson and Co. in Saskatoon, which at that time was located in part of the Kempthorne Block at 157 2nd Avenue South.

Henry Birks and Sons Ltd. purchased the property at the northern corner of 3rd Avenue and 21st Street East in 1928, and the Birks Building was built in 1929. The building is credited with transforming the corner of 3rd Avenue along with the Eaton’s store and the remodelled MacMillan Building. The Birks store continues to be the main tenant on the building’s ground floor. The office portion of the building has been occupied by medical and financial offices over the years.

Source: City of Saskatoon Built Heritage Database

Character Defining Elements

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

• Its architecture with Beaux-Arts influences, evident in: its brick façade with marble and bronze trim, symmetrical façade with decorative metal panels that vertically separate the paired windows in the corner bays, the parapet roofline with arched crenellations above each bay division, and the decoratively molded terracotta bands and accents; and
• Its cast iron ornamental fittings around its doors and its flat canopy edged in metal suspended over the entry door from decorative metal bosses.