Mann House

Description of the Historic Place

The Mann House (also known as the W.E. Walter House) features a one and three-quarter storey dwelling at the corner of University Drive and McKinnon Avenue North.  Designed by Architect Norman Thompson, the 1912 home is located in the neighbourhood of Varsity View. 

This historic place, located at 1040 University Drive, was designated as a Municipal Heritage Property in 2016. The designation is limited to the exterior of the house.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Mann House lies in its association with Owen Mann, who was a City Councillor with one of the longest tenures in Saskatoon’s history. Mann was known for his interest in civic infrastructure, careful city planning and prudent spending. Born in Frances, Saskatchewan in 1923, Mann was raised in Flin Flon Manitoba. Following completion of high school, Mann worked for Hudson Bay Mining. Through a company scholarship, Mann came to the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) to study mechanical engineering. He became the outstanding graduate in Engineering in 1945 at the U of S, and later studied at the University of Iowa for his Masters Degree.

Following completion of his studies, Owen Mann began a 42 year career as a professor at the College of Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. When Mann was elected to City Council in 1969, he brought with him his professional skills and engineering expertise. Mann served on City Council from 1969 to 1979, and again from 1980 to 1994. Among his many contributions to the City of Saskatoon, Mann assisted with drawing up plans for the City’s new sewage treatment plant. He served on countless civic communities, and also spent several years as a Director with the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA). Mann, along with his family, purchased the home at 1040 University Drive in 1963, and lived there for over 45 years. Owen Mann Park, located in the neighbourhood of Stonebridge, was named in his honour in 2010.

Two other notable individuals, who resided at 1040 University Drive, include Thomas A. Watson and W.E. Walter. Watson became the first physician to use the betatron at the Saskatoon Cancer Clinic in 1949. The betatron was an electrical method capable of producing 25 million volt x-rays to treat patients with late stage cancer. In 1951, Watson, with the help of physicist Harold John, created the Watson-Johns cobalt treatment unit – the first of its kind in the world. Watson also worked as a professor at the University of Saskatchewan’s department of therapeutic radiology, which he headed from 1954 to 1963 before moving to Ontario to become director of the Ontario Cancer Foundation.

W.E. Walter, a Special Representative for the Canadian National Railway (CNR) Immigration and Colonization Department, lived in the home at 1040 University Drive from 1930 to 1947. The Immigration and Colonization Department, had offices in Saskatoon, Winnipeg, and Edmonton, and were responsible for the recruitment of thousands of settlers to the west.

Over the years, the Mann House has seen a number of changes to its exterior. In 1918 the attached garage was built; in the 1930s the glassed-in veranda was constructed, and around the same time the existing exterior stucco was added covering the original wood siding that is still present in the veranda’s interior. Despite some of these modifications, the Mann House adds character to the Varisty View neighbourhood and serves as a tribute to Owen Mann, Thomas A. Watson and W.E. Walter.

Source: City of Saskatoon Built Heritage Database

Character Defining Elements

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

• Its aesthetic value, evident in: its hipped roof with multiple gables, enclosed veranda, windows (including multiple rectangular planes on the upper story), false half-timbering, brick chimneys with decorative chimney pots, and exposed rafter tails; and
• Those elements associated with Owen Mann, Thomas A. Watson and W.E. Walter, such as its existence on its original lot in Varsity View and its proximity to the University.