Saskatoon Electrical System Substation Building

Saskatoon Electrical System Substation Building
Address:
619 Main Street
Status:
  • Designated

Description of the Historic Place

The Saskatoon Electrical System Substation Building is a one-storey masonry building in the neighborhood of Nutana. Originally used for the purposes of public works, the building was designed to accomodate transformers for the municipal electrical system.

This historic place, located at at 619 Main Street, was designated as a Municipal Heritage Property in 2000. Heritage designation is limited to the exterior of the building.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Saskatoon Electrical System Substation resides in its architecture and historical integrity. Constructed in the late 1920s, this is one of the last surviving examples of the flat-roofed, brick style buildings that were commonly constructed to house public works in Saskatoon during the mid-twentieth century. The building exudes permanence and strength. Strong, clean geometrics typical of the Modern Classical style are maintained in the façade through the use of contrasting brick pilasters, belt courses, decorative brick panels trimmed with granite and a stepped entablature capped by a parapet wall. While the building has been refurbished, the alterations have been designed for minimal visual intrusion to the façade.

The building has had a longstanding association with public works in Saskatoon and has contributed to the surrounding streetscape. The building was used to house the transformers for the municipal electrical system up until 1973, and for city storage thereafter. Although located off Broadway Avenue itself, it is one of several masonry buildings that characterize this commercial district.

Through the City’s Heritage Awards Program, the building received an award for adaptive reuse in 2002.

Source: City of Saskatoon Bylaw No.7986 / 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 Modern Classical architectural elements, evident in: its stepped entablature and parapet wall, limited cornice, and piers; and
  • Its historical integrity, evident in: the use of brick throughout the exterior and its number of windows and their metal-grid treatment.

 

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