Land Titles Building

Description of the Historic Place

The Land Titles Building is a one-storey, brick and stone office building constructed between 1909 and 1910. The building, with its blend of Neo-Classical and Romanesque Revival design, was used as Saskatoon’s Land Titles office up until 1987.

This historic place, located at 311 21st Street East, was designated as a Provincial Heritage Property in 1985.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Land Titles Building resides in its architecture, which reflects a blending of Neo-Classical and Romanesque Revival elements that aimed to project the image of strength, permanency, and modernity desired by the Province of Saskatchewan. Designed by the prominent Regina architectural firm of Storey and Van Egmond, this was their first of four such buildings and the most elaborate. While the simple, symmetrical features and the decorative iron cornice reflect the Classical style of the building, the Romanesque Revival style is reflected in the building's quoins, its stone detailing at the arched entry, round-arched windows, and sharp contrasts between its brick and stone finishing materials. Its interior elements, such as the marble finish and vaulted ceilings, also gave the building a sense of opulence and modernity at the time of its construction.

The heritage value of the Land Titles Building also lies in its association with the growth and prosperity of the province. The early twentieth-century immigration boom resulted in a massive influx of settlers to the prairies and led to high levels of land registration. This heightened the demand for services and required permanent, modern, and fireproof facilities for the storage and administration of land ownership records. In order to handle the increased demands being placed on the three pre-existing land titles offices, the provincial government created seven new land registration districts, each with its own land titles office. Almost immediately, the busy Saskatoon office was deemed too small and in 1910, plans were underway for its enlargement. An addition was completed in 1911, which was identically styled to the original and virtually doubled the building's capacity. Today, the building is used for office purposes.

Through the City’s Heritage Awards Program, the Land Titles Building received an award for the renovation and restoration of a commercial building in 1996.

Source: 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 Romanesque Revival style of architecture, evident in: the quoins, the brick and Tyndall Stone façade, the stone detailing, the round-arched windows, and the decorative, arched entry;
• Its Neo-Classical style of architecture, evident in: its symmetry and its decorative galvanized iron cornice; and
• Those features that speak to its role as a provincial land titles office, such as the vaulted ceilings, marble finish in vestibule, the Saskatchewan provincial crest and signage over the main entrance, and original vaults.