Black Duck Freehouse

Description of the Historic Place

The Black Duck Freehouse (also referred to as the Heintzman Hall Building) is a two-storey commercial building with a Tyndall stone façade.  Built in 1928, the building is located at 154 2nd Avenue South in Saskatoon’s downtown. 

Heritage Value

Designed by architect Frank P. Martin, the Black Duck Freehouse is valued for its architecture, with its parapet roofline, Tyndall-stone facade panels, and arrow-slit windows. The building’s corners are defined by Tyndall stone paneled pilasters with carved friezes below curved capitals. Following the building’s completion, the music store Heintzman & Co. moved in and the building soon became known as the Heintzman Hall Building.

Over the years, other tenants at 154 2nd Avenue South have included a photography studio, a dentist, and an optician. By 1975, the sole tenant of the building was Fabre's Exclusive Ladies Wear, and by 1985 Household Trust had replaced Fabre's.  In 1995, the building was renovated and converted into a restaurant, the Black Duck Freehouse.

Today, the Black Duck Freehouse building continues to operate as a restaurant / pub under a different name, and although the building may not be large, it is an attractive feature along 2nd Avenue.

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, evident in: its parapet roofline; Tyndall stone facade panels; arrow-slit windows; corbelled sills, Tyndall stone pilasters, carved friezes, and curved capitals, the carved canthus leaf and floral motifs, and the central plaque.