worth magazine - fall 2014

PU

BL

ICA

TIO

NS

AG

RE

EM

EN

T #41484517

PU

BL

ICA

TIO

NS

AG

RE

EM

EN

T #41484517

PU

BL

ICA

TIO

NS

AG

RE

EM

EN

T #41484517

Volume 26 Issue 3 Fall 2014

SASKATCHEWAN’S ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE MAGAZINE

Lieutenant Governor Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewanof Saskatchewan

Heritage ArchitectureHeritage ArchitectureExcellence Awards Excellence Awards

RecipientsRecipients

Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan

Heritage ArchitectureExcellence Awards

Recipients

OgemaOgemaOgemaHome of the Home of the

Deep South Pioneer Deep South Pioneer Museum and aMuseum and avintage railwayvintage railway

Home of the Deep South Pioneer

Museum and avintage railway

201420142014

is committed to

controlling collection,

use and disclosure of

personal information

provided by our

readers.

We may contact

readers periodically,

conducting market

research in an effort

to improve the

magazine.

DISCLAIMER:

The information and views set out in this magazine are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of AHSS.

Heritage Partnership FundIf you have a project that needs money to Help Heritage Happen in

your community next spring or summer visit our website right away

or call the office at 306-359-0933 or at 1-877-903-0933.

Here's a brief description of each of the four grants.

Heritage Site Consultant Report Grant (Maximum $1,000)Success with any conservation project depends on its viability. AHSS supports conservation

through providing grants for professional services like structural analysis, architectural

design, legal consultation, and construction cost analysis to provide building owners the

opportunity to more accurately gauge the feasibility, cost, and methodology for site

conservation and re-use.

Heritage Forums Grant (Maximum $1,500)This matching grant program is intended to help community-based organizations to defray

costs of hosting conferences, presentations, panel discussions, seminars, workshops, awards

ceremonies, and other educational forums that encourage or empower people of the

community or province to acknowledge, preserve and/or promote their built historic and

cultural heritage.

Heritage Publications Grant (Maximum $1,500)This matching grant is intended to help community-based organizations to defray the cost of

printing materials that promote public interest in membership, local programs and activities.

Heritage Communications Grant (Maximum $200)This matching grant is intended to help the Society's community-based organizations to

defray the cost of printing brochures or programs that promote public participation in local

forums like conferences, presentations, panel discussions, seminars, workshops, awards

ceremonies, walking tours, and other educational forums that encourage or empower people

of the community or province to acknowledge, preserve and/or promote their built historic

and cultural heritage.

Visit www.ahsk.ca for further

details and applications.

FUNDING FOR COMMUNITY-BASED HERITAGE INITIATIVES

| :2 WORTH SASKATCHEWAN'S ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE MAGAZINE

WORTHSASKATCHEWAN'S ARCHITECTURAL

HERITAGE MAGAZINE

For information, please contact

AHSS Administration

202 - 1275 Broad Street,

Regina, SK S4R 1Y2

Phone: 306-359-0933

or 1-877-431-1399 Toll free

Email: [email protected]

www.WORTHmagazine.ca

ArchitecturalHeritage Society of SaskatchewanHELPING HERITAGE HAPPEN

WORTH

MAGAZINE

Any person, family

or organization may

subscribe to WORTH

free of charge by calling

(306) 359-0933 or

1-877-903-0933

toll free.Return undeliverable copies to:

WORTH Magazine

202 – 1275 Broad St.

Regina, Saskatchewan

S4R 1Y2

|WORTH 3

SASKATCHEWAN'S ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE MAGAZINE

IN THIS ISSUE VOLUME 26 ISSUE 3 FALL 2014

ON OUR COVER:The Southern Prairie Railway originates in Ogema.

WORTH Magazine is published by the Architectural Heritage Society of Saskatchewan (AHSS) Inc.

Submissions to WORTH are welcomed and are assumed to be factually correct. We reserve the right to edit copy for clarity and length.

Copy submission deadlines:

Spring edition: February 25

Summer Edition: May 15

Winter Edition: September 15

Editor: Joe RalkoDesign: b-creative group

© 2009 ISSN 1926-3198

Printed on recycled paper. Titan coated

paper contains 10% recycled content.

Acid and elemental chlorine free.

Eight Projects Bestowed with Heritage Architecture Excellence Awards ......................................................... 4

Lieutenant-Governor's Address to the Excellence Award Ceremony .................. 5Award Recipients Affinity Campus, Saskatoon ........................................................................... 6 Original Humboldt ........................................................................................ 6 St. Elias Orthodox Church, Near Rhein ............................................................ 7 Stonebridge Special Use Park, Saskatoon ....................................................... 7 The Grant Hall, Moose Jaw ............................................................................ 7 Ross School, Moose Jaw ................................................................................. 8 Browns Socialhouse, Moose Jaw .................................................................... 8 Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Canora ............................................ 8

Main Street Saskatchewan Program Extended ................................ 9

Tornado Versus Library ................................................................... 10

Museum Has 31 Buildings and More than 150 Pieces of Vintage Farm Machinery ........................................... 12

Almost A Goner! The Historic landmark known as Polish Church . 15

St. Andrew's Anglican Church in Heward ........................................ 17

In The News ..................................................................................... 18

Meet the New Heritage Minister ..................................................... 19

Meet the Board of Directors – Dragana Perusinovic, Treasurer ..... 20

Conserving the Past ......................................................................... 21

History Built Brick By Brick .............................................................. 22


REGINA, June 11 – Her Honour the

Honourable Vaughn Solomon Schofield,

Lieutenant-Governor of Saskatchewan,

bestowed the prestigious Heritage Archi-

tecture Excellence Award to three projects

from Moose Jaw, two from Saskatoon and

one each from Canora, Humboldt, and

near Rhein, Sask.

The Lieutenant Governor is the

Honourary Patron of the juried awards

sponsored by the Architectural Heritage

Society of Saskatchewan.

Since the inception of the awards in

1996, a total of 147 projects throughout

the province have been recognized.

Awards were presented at an event

Wednesday, June 11 in the Sir Richard Lake

Hall at Government House in Regina.

Certificates were presented (See photos

on the following pages) to the project site

owner, architect, and general contractor in

each category.

In Moose Jaw, Ross School was recog-

nized for adaptive reuse, The Grant Hall for

rehabilitation and Browns Socialhouse for

sympathetic new construction.

In Saskatoon, Affinity Campus formerly

Wilson elementary school was recognized


Eight Projects Bestowed with AnnualHeritage Architecture Excellence Awards

for adaptive reuse and the Stonebridge

Special Use Park was honoured in the

landscape, engineering and agricultural

works category.

The St. Elias Orthodox Church near Rhein,

about 35 kilometres northeast of Yorkton,

was recognized for exterior restoration, the

“Original Humboldt project” was honoured

in the signage, monuments and interpreta-

tion category while the Holy Trinity Church in

Canora received the award for long-term

stewardship of a heritage property.

The awards ceremony celebrates out-

standing contributions in building restora-

tion, renovation, adaptive re-use, and built

heritage programming.

Architectural Heritage Society of Sas-

katchewan is a registered charity that en-

courages, supports, and rewards the mean-

ingful conservation of Saskatchewan's built

heritage. The Society receives annual core

funding from Saskatchewan Lotteries Trust

Fund for Sport, Culture and Recreation

through SaskCulture, as well as charitable

donations.

19th Annual HeritageArchitecture Excellence Awards

: |WORTH SASKATCHEWAN'S ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE MAGAZINE 5

Remarks by Her HonourThe Lieutenant Governor of SaskatchewanHeritage Architecture Excellence Awards

Wednesday, June 11, 2014 – Government House

ood evening and welcome. GIt's a pleasure to join with

the Architectural Heritage

Society of Saskatchewan to

host this special awards cere-

mony.

It's certainly a privilege to

have my offices in Government

House, to be able to welcome

Royalty and Ambassadors

here, and to share this beauti-

ful building with the people of

Saskatchewan and our visitors

from across Canada and

around the world.

Canadian historian Thomas

Axworthy writes, “History is to

citizenship as mathematics is

to science: the essential pre-

requisite.”

Sites like this are a tangible

and vital connection to our

history. They are, quite liter-

ally, a window on the past.

I had the honour of meeting

with The Queen in

London this past

October.

When we passed

through the gates

of Buckingham

Palace, and then

entered the build-

ing, it was truly

like stepping back

in time. The Palace was con-

structed in 1703!

Government House is a little

bit newer - it was completed in

1891, and is valuable living

history. Our Interpretive

Centre, upstairs, tells the

fascinating story of this build-

ing and its residents, and if

you've never taken the time to

explore the museum, I encour-

age you to do so.

I congratulate all of today's

recipients and I thank you for

honouring our heritage. Your

creative projects are

beautiful, useful

gifts to Saskatche-

wan and are truly

legacies for the

future.

I'm grateful to the

Architectural

Heritage Society of

Saskatchewan for

encouraging, enabling, and

rewarding the conservation of

our rich built heritage.

In closing, it's my pleasure to

bring you greetings on behalf of

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth

the Second, Queen of Canada.

Once again, congratulations to

the deserving recipients of the

Heritage Architecture Excel-

lence Awards.

(Reprinted with permission

of Her Honour the Lieutenant

Governor of Saskatchewan.)

2014


Her Honour, the Honourable Vaughn Solomon Schofield, Lieutenant-

Governor of Saskatchewan, (centre in all of the presentation photos)

bestowed eight Heritage Architecture Excellence Awards during an event

at Government House on June 11. Since the inception of the awards in 1996,

a total of 147 projects throughout the province have been recognized.

Affinity Campus

Affinity Campus, formerly the Wilson elementary school in

Saskatoon, was honoured for Adaptive Re-use.

Recipients (from left to right) were: Ken Achs, Ian Banks,

Derek E. Kindrachuk, Karl Miller, Lise de Moissac,

Colleen Wilson and Lois Herback.

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF SASKATCHEWAN HERITAGE ARCHITECTURE EXCELLENCE AWARDS RECIPIENTS

Adaptive Re-use

Original Humboldt

The Original Humboldt project was honoured in the Education,

Signage, Monuments and Interpretation category.

Recipients were: Garry Jenkins, Rev. J. Alvin Hingley,

Edward M. Novecosky and Dennis Korte.

Education, Signage, Monuments and Interpretation category

The Grant Hall

The Grant Hall in Moose Jaw was honoured for Rehabilitation.

Recipients were: Don Sabo, Erwin Beug, Verna Alford

and Alvin Beug.

St. Elias Orthodox Church

The St. Elias Orthodox Church near Rhein, Sask., was honoured

for Exterior Restoration.

Recipients were: Joe Achtemichuk, Tess Achtemichuk

and Horace Paulmark.

Stonebridge Special Use Park

The Stonebridge Special Use Park in Saskatoon was honored for

Landscape, Engineerings and Agricultural Works.

Recipients were: Paul Moroz, Cam Patterson, Jill Anholt

and Paula Kotasek-Toth.

Exterior Restoration

Landscape, Engineerings and Agricultural Work


Rehabilitation

Ross School

Ross School in Moose Jaw was honored for Adaptive Re-use.

Recipients were: Glen Heck, Yogalekshmi Subramonian

and David Anderson.

Browns Socialhouse

A sympathetic new construction award was bestowed upon

Browns Socialhouse in Moose Jaw.

Recipients were: Troy Tilbury, Brian Walz and Raelyn Tilbury.


2014 Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan Heritage Architecture Excellence Awards Recipients

Adaptive Re-use

Sympathetic New Construction

Holy Trinity, Ukrainian Orthodox Church

A long-term stewardship award was bestowed upon the Holy

Trinity, Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Canora.

Recipients were: Taras Korol, John J. Oystryk, Dorothy Korol,

Alice German and Edward German.

Long-term Stewardship


By Joe Ralko

Main Street Saskatchewan

Program Extended

REGINA – The Main Street

Saskatchewan program,

launched as a demonstration

project in 2011, will continue.

“Our historic downtowns

and commercial districts are

centres of pride in our prov-

ince,” said Minister of Parks,

Culture and Sport Mark

Docherty to announce the

evolution of the program at a

July 8th event at the legislative

building.

“Through its new, on-going

program, Main Street Sas-

katchewan will work with

communities to promote,

conserve and capitalize on the

things that make these areas

unique.”

He began his speaking

remarks by referring to distin-

guished British architect and

town planner Graeme

Shankland who once said: “A

city without old buildings is like

a man without a memory.”

“I believe this is true,” the

minister said.

“Our historic downtowns,

the historical and cultural hubs

of our province, hold the

memories of our past and the

experiences of our future.”

The new Main Street pro-

gram will provide two levels of

participation: Accredited and

Affiliate.

Accredited communities are

eligible to receive all benefits

and services offered by the

Main Street program, including

training and advisory services,

support in developing their

streetscape design guidelines,

eligibility for three matching

grant streams, and a one-time,

$25,000 matching grant to

assist the community in devel-

oping their long-term vision

and work plan for the down-

town.

Communities selected at an

Affiliate level will receive a

package of benefits which

includes eligibility for the

capacity building grant and

some training and advisory

services.

Deadline

for applica-

tions to the

Main Street

Saskatchewan

program was

September 5.

Selection of

two new

accredited

communities

and an unlimited number of

Affiliate communities was

being made as Worth maga-

zine was going to press. These

communities will be featured in

the next edition of the maga-

zine.

Minister Docherty said the

decision to continue the Main

Street program was based on

the success of its demonstration

program.

The program, launched in

2011, included the communi-

ties of Indian Head, Maple

Creek, Prince Albert and

Wolseley. Each of the Main

Street projects was the focus of

a cover story in Worth maga-

zine.

“Over the past three years,

the government of Saskatche-

wan has invested $1.65 million

in these communities,” said the

minister.

“With the help of such

investments, these communi-

ties combined have seen 66

new jobs created, 22 new

businesses opened, $4.9

million committed to historic

building and streetscape

improvements and $6.5 million

in property acquisitions.”

Maple

Creek Main

Street Pro-

gram Coordi-

nator Royce

Pettyjohn said

participating

in the pro-

gram helped

his community

in southwest-

ern Saskatchewan better

understand the connection

between heritage conservation,

first impressions, tourism and

economic development.

“There is a much better

appreciation of the role that

culture and heritage plays not

only in local pride, but in the

long-term sustainability of our

community,” he said.

“Conservation of our com-

munity's past is helping us build

our community's future.”

Janice Bardestani, Chair of

Indian Head Main Street

Revitalization Inc., agreed with

Pettyjohn's assessment.

“Main Street is an economic

development that uses heritage

buildings as a launching pad to

increase activity and interest

not only in the downtown core,

but in the community as a

whole!

This is something the Indian

Head Main Street board and

the town members have

learned so well,” she said.

“Indian Head Main Street to

me has been about creating

cohesive partnerships, launch-

ing events and projects that

have become self-sustaining

By Joe Ralko

and really, about bringing

people in our town together

like never before!”

Ross Keith, chair of Heritage

Canada the National Trust, said

the organization previously

called the Heritage Canada

Foundation, is very aware of

the Main Street program in his

home province.

“We are excited about what

the first four pilot communities

are achieving here in Saskatch-

ewan,” Keith said.

“They are examples of how

government involvement, when

properly directed, can spark

activity at the grass roots.

He noted the Saskatchewan

Main Street program was

launched three years ago as a

demonstration project – by

definition an experiment.

“Today's announcement of

the continuation of this pro-

gram is of major significance

because it declares the experi-

ment a success and creates

exciting ongoing opportunities.

As chair of the board of the

National Trust, I am aware of

what is happening in this

regard in every province and

territory. I can tell you that

Saskatchewan is leading the

way in capitalizing on this

opportunity and we commend

the Government of Saskatche-

wan for the leadership it is

providing.”

Docherty noted the Sas-

katchewan population recently

surpassed the 1.1 million mark.

“More and more people are

recognizing Saskatchewan as a

great place to live, work and

play,” said the Regina member

of the Legislative Assembly

promoted to cabinet a month

earlier (see article on page 19).

“Our historic downtowns

play a vital part in this recogni-

tion by providing visitors to our

province with adventure; places

in which they can dine, shop

and explore. Our historic

downtowns enrich our quality

of life by providing Saskatche-

wan with places of memory.” W

Tornado Versus - -

yLibrar

REGINA – On June 30, 1912, a

tornado roared through Regina,

dealing death and destruction, and

demolishing or damaging 500

buildings.

The Regina Public Library was one

of them.

Originally known as the Carnegie

Library after its benefactor, Ameri-

can philanthropist Andrew Carnegie,

the building was an architectural

marvel. Its exterior bore a simple

classical design in buff-pressed brick

with white stone trimmings. Large

white stone columns rose majesti-

cally on either side of the entrance.

Atop the front door stood a circular

carved stone displaying the library's

seal in gilt letters. Green ornamental

light standards were planned for each

side, and windows were trimmed in

brown.

The doorway led to a large vesti-

bule and then to a hall from which a

grand marble staircase rose to a

rotunda with a domed ceiling. The

main floor had mosaic tile floors, and

a marble base ran around the bottom

of the stairs.

The rooms were spacious and

decorated in buff and brown. The

ceilings were high and the cornices

finished in ornamental plaster work.

This was a far cry from the first

public library, which opened in 1909

in three rooms of the new city hall.

They were horribly congested.

Seeing an urgent need for expan-

sion, the library board requested a

grant from Carnegie, who said he'd

provide $30,000 for a new library.

The board didn't think this amount

was sufficient and requested further

funds. Carnegie agreed to increase

the grant to $50,000 – on the condi-

tion that he approve the plans first.

Following the suggestions of the

Regina Architectural Association, a

competition limited to Regina

architects was held. First place was

awarded to Storey & Van Egmond.

But Carnegie rejected the design,

feeling that too much of the building's

functionality was being sacrificed to

architectural effect.


By Keith Foster

About 500

buildings were

damaged when

a tornado

struck Regina

on June 30,

1912.

The architects

resubmitted their

designs, some with

modifications. Carnegie

approved two of them,

including Storey & Van

Egmond's original plan,

which the library board

adopted.

Lieutenant Governor

George William Brown

officially opened the

library on May 11, 1912.

A mere six weeks later,

a tornado devastated the spanking

new structure and much of downtown

Regina.

Airborne debris blew right through

the windows, destroying the roof. But

board chairman Rev. Cannon Hill

said the library, “being of reinforced

concrete, brick and stone, withstood

the force of the storm admirably.”

Chief Librarian J.R.C. Honeyman

recorded, “The library was a good

deal knocked about ... Fortunately,

the contents of the building were very

little damaged ...”

Lieutenant Governor Brown was in

New York shortly after the disaster

and personally contacted Carnegie

for assistance. He came through with

an additional grant of $9,500.

Cannon Hill said he wished the

board had originally

asked for $75,000.

In 1962 a new library

building was con-

structed on the same

spot. Although some

features from the old

were incorporated into

the new, the original

structure was demol-

ished. The wrecking ball finally

accomplished what the tornado had

been unable to do. W


Watch for the forthcoming book, Regina Public Library: One Hundred Years at the Heart of the Community, by Friends of the Regina Public Library.

The Carnegie Library before the tornado struck Regina (left) and after (above).

12 | : WORTH SASKATCHEWAN'S ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE MAGAZINE

OGEMA – The Deep South Pioneer

Museum (DSPM), located a 90-

minute drive south of Regina in the

town of Ogema, has grown to become

one of the largest community-owned

museums in western Canada.

“With 31 buildings on ten acres of

grounds, plus more than 150 pieces of

vintage farm machinery, our collec-

tion is a treasure trove of pioneer

artifacts,” explained museum vice

president Carol Peterson.

“The past is more than artifacts

stored behind glass, sealed in time.

Here, the past is a living thing. There

is no museum quite like this, as you

will discover for yourself once you

interact with the buildings, objects

and stories that bring the pioneer

past to life.”

Many of the buildings were moved

to the museum not only from within

the Town of Ogema but from sur-

rounding towns in the Rural Munici-

pality of Key West No. 70 which are

no longer functioning.

“These buildings have a new life

here while preserving memories of

ghost towns like Dahinda and

Edgeworth,” said Peterson, part of a

three-member committee that

traveled to China in 2008 where

Ogema received an international

award for Heritage Conservation.

The pioneer village represents an

almost complete picture of what

many prairie towns looked like in the

early twentieth century. Each

building is furnished with genuine

pioneer artifacts, many of which are

original to the buildings themselves,

allowing a further glimpse into a past

way of life.

“The museum boasts an impressive

collection of pioneer artifacts,

perhaps numbered over a million if

every last silver spoon and glass

bottle were to be counted,” said

Museum Has Museum Has 31 Buildings 31 Buildings

and More thanand More than 150 pieces of 150 pieces of Vintage Farm Vintage Farm

MachineryMachinery

Museum Has Museum Has 31 Buildings 31 Buildings

and More thanand More than 150 pieces of 150 pieces of Vintage Farm Vintage Farm

MachineryMachineryBy Joe Ralko


Peterson, who also is a member of the

Museums Association of Saskatche-

wan board of directors.

“These artifacts, kept by previous

generations out of necessity or

nostalgia, now have a permanent

home where they are carefully

preserved and displayed. “

“In the earliest years of the mu-

seum's existence, members were

drawn from Ogema, Pangman,

Bengough, and Avonlea. Five acres of

land was purchased just north of

Ogema. This was very quickly

deemed too small and a further five

acres were added to the museum site

in 1980.”

Donations to the museum were

slow at first, but soon enough the

collection began to rapidly expand.

“Once people realized this was a

south country effort and their loans

and donations would be here forever

with their names and a bit of history

concerning each piece attached, they

were very anxious to help,” she

quoted local historian Andy Myren

writing.

Peterson explained that younger

generations learn how things were

produced in the “olden days” such as

how farm families made butter and

what telephones looked like before

cellular devices and wireless

handhelds.

Ogema is on the historic Red Coat

Trail from Winnipeg, Manitoba to

Fort MacLeod, Alberta. The Red Coat

Trail was used by the Northwest

Mounted Police starting in the 19th

century, and later by early settlers. It

has since become provincial Highway

No. 13, linking communities through-

out southern Saskatchewan.

“The Deep South Pioneer Museum,

established in 1977, is a symbol of the

prairie spirit of community and

respect for the past,” Peterson said.

The front row of more than 31 buildings at the Deep South Pioneer Museum.

Passengers can board the Southern Prairie Railway at the Ogema train station (above). Visitors can view artifacts inside a telephone office (top right) and the post office (bottom right).

Museum volunteers

cleaned, repaired and

restored the antique

machinery and furniture.

Some parts had to be

custom built for the

vintage equipment

because they could not be

purchased anymore.

As the museum collec-

tion expanded, space to

store and display it all

became a pressing issue.

In 1979, volunteers built a

large steel building (48 X

120 feet) on the museum

grounds to house the thousands of

artifacts that the museum now

owned.

However, it still was not large

enough, and so the board decided to

create a pioneer village with historic

buildings from Ogema and district.

“This decision proved an important

one, for not only did it provide storage

and display space for the museum, it

also saved several buildings from

certain decay or demolition,” Peter-

son said.

“Over the years, as the collection of

buildings grew, the museum became

a complex. New buildings were built

to house objects.”

To coincide with Saskatchewan's

75th anniversary in 1980, the

museum was officially opened. That

year a “Threshermen's Day” was held

to commemorate the grand opening.

It has since evolved to become the

annual Museum Day, held the same

weekend as Ogema's century-old

Agricultural Fair.

The region continues to

build on its historic past.

The Southern Prairie

Railway, also based in Ogema,

has been taking tourists for a

ride on the rails since 2012.

“It is the only tourist train

of its kind in Saskatchewan.

The Southern Prairie Railway

allows passengers to experi-

ence the past through a ride in

its vintage 1922 Pullman passenger

car pulled by a 1945 General Electric

diesel locomotive,” said Peterson who

has been involved in the Ogema

Heritage Railway Association since

the dream began in 1998.

There are several creative round

trips from spring and to fall including

a pitchfork fondue, a robbery or a star

gazer experience.

For more detailed information

about fares and times, visit:

www.Southernprairierailway.com. W


Above: The Deep South Pioneer Museum is one of the largest community-owned museums in Canada. Left: Thousands of artifacts can be seen inside the General Store.


ALMOST A GONER!The historic landmark known as Polish Church

REDBERRY LAKE – Amidst

the beautiful landscape of

rolling agricultural fields and

Redberry Lake, an area 80

km northwest of Saskatoon,

stands an historic landmark

and church (seen from miles

around) known locally simply

as the “Polish Church.”

This modest church is

located within a National

Bird Sanctuary and an area

recognized as an interna-

tional Biosphere Reserve by

the United Nations Educa-

tion, Science, and Culture

Organisation (UNESCO).

This past summer, it was

almost a goner!

The Holy Trinity Roman

Catholic Church, located

within the Rural Municipal-

ity (RM) of Redberry (NW22-

42-8 W3M ), was built in 1909

by Eastern European settlers

and included members of my

paternal family who were of

Polish descent - primarily

from the Buzikewich (Buzik)

maternal family side.

During my years growing

up as a farm girl in the area, I

recall attending services both

at the Polish Church and at

the Holy Ghost Ukrainian Greek

Catholic Church (still an active

though reduced serviced Parish).

In the 1990s, the Polish Church

was decommissioned for the most

part as an active Parish. And, as

memory serves, much of its contents

were sadly dispersed in the early

2000s.

I have listened to many stories

about the Polish Church shared by

my late father, neighbours, and my

mom – whom, when younger, would

often make the two-kilometer walk

from our home up the hill for

services with her mother-in-

law (my Baba who was a

Buzikewich).

I recall for an assignment

as an undergraduate student

at the University of Sas-

katchewan, I interviewed my

late uncle John Buzik, who

shared with me his passion

for the church and the role it

played in helping to develop

our community.

I recall uncle John sharing

his pride in contributing

religious paintings he did

that were featured in the

church. Though these

paintings are no longer in the

church, I can only hope they

are serving another Parish

well with recognition of their

origin.

This past May, 2014, the

Prince Albert Roman Catho-

lic Diocese, assuming that

there would be no objections

since the Parish had dis-

solved so many years earlier,

and had no formal local

stewardship in place, sent a

couple of its administration

to take out the remaining

pews and the chandelier.

Worried about liability for a

structure that was starting to show

drastic wear and tear (the roof had

begun to cave in), the Diocese was

preparing for a bulldozer to come in

and knock the church down.

By chance, and perhaps divine

By Lenore Swystun

Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church near Redberry Lake, about 80 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon.

intervention, a nephew driving by

with members of his and his dad's

farm crew saw the men at the

Church.

They were taken aback upon

hearing from the men that the

Church may be under threat.

In what can only be shared as a

heated passionate exchange of words

between my nephew and the two men

present, this passionate exchange

has since led to a series of positive

exchanges and a happy re-beginning

for the Polish Church.

Through correspondence with the

Bishop and his administration at the

Prince Albert Diocese, a meeting was

held in June on site.

My two eldest brothers and mother

were in attendance. Upon seeing the

commitment of our family to do the

work needed to keep the Church

standing the Bishop agreed to let us

do the work.

In exchange they would bring back

the pews and the chandelier and a

transfer of agreement would be

developed to ensure we continue the

stewardship of the Polish Church in

perpetuity as an historic landmark

and as a place of spiritual and

community gathering.

Three important things aligned for

this to happen.

First, the random (or not so

random) chance meeting and ex-

change between our family and

members of the Diocese (or the next

thing one may have driven by was a

knocked down Church, as demolition

does not take long!).

Second, the openness of the

Diocese to seeing that, while no local

Parish remains due to a limited

amount of people living in the area,

there still remained local community

members committed to seeing the

landmark remain.

And third, if not for the resources

and skill of an eldest brother Rodney

who was able to quickly mobilize his

farm crew of more than half a dozen

people to rebuild the roof, fortify the

structure and repair and paint the

exterior – well, the Polish Church

most likely would have been a goner!

Instead, we have been in corre-

spondence with the Diocese who is

preparing to return the chandelier

and pews in October.

Later, after harvest, the Bishop will

come and provide a blessing to the

Church. The goal is to continue with

the restoration of the Church on the

interior (with a fresh coat of paint and

a staining of the floor) and to have it

remain as an open Church for all to

visit, honour, and pay respect to.

There were lessons learned on

everyone's part in this story – For us,

not to take our heritage for granted,

and for the Diocese, not to assume

that no one cares!

Fortunately, open hearts and

minds, a spirit of cooperation, and a

little bit of good old-fashioned elbow

grease resulted in a happy ending for

this local historic landmark.

A Trust is being formed and all

donations will be happily accepted to

continue with this legacy. You may

contact [email protected] for

more information about how to be

involved.

Lenore Swystun is a proud farm kid

at heart with a passion for heritage

throughout Saskatchewan and

beyond.

W


Volunteers work to rebuild the roof of the building known locally as “the Polish church.”

There were lessons learned on everyone's part in this story – For us, not to take our heritage for granted, and for the Diocese, not to assume that no one cares!


St. Andrew's Anglican Church

HEWARD – The cornerstone

of St. Andrew's Anglican

Church in Heward was laid

September 16, 1919 by the

Masonic Grand Master of

Saskatchewan.

The architect, A.J. Rowley

of Regina, envisioned a

thirteenth century building

executed in ashlar-cut

fieldstone. Construction

spanned four years from 1918

until its official opening

October, 18, 1921.

Six hundred loads of stone

and three hundred cubic

yards of mortar sand were

provided by the same volun-

teer labour that excavated the

basement.

The contractor was W.R.

Brown and Co. of Weyburn.

The carpenter was L. Satrums,

Creelman. Regina Sash and

Door did the millwork, while

McGraw, Stevenson & Co. of Belfast,

Ireland made the nine memorial

windows.

The structure measures 64 by 27

feet, anchored by a 60-foot spire on a

14-foot square base. The deep

foundation footings are six-feet wide,

enclosing a basement with 12-foot

ceiling clearance and seating for 200.

Thick stone walls with integral

buttresses rise to support a heavy-

beamed, sixteen-foot roof over the

sanctuary.

Original contents included a

thirteenth-century octagonal stone

font, brought by Sir Joshua Quiller-

Couch, from a crumbling, under-

mined church on the coast of

Cornwall.

The council of Powick Parish,

Worcestershire, donated an oak

lectern that had been in use for over

five hundred years. Other English

churches sent the frontal linens and

religious hardware.

When the building was

sold to the United Church

in 1961, the bells, font,

lectern, and other items

were acquired by Re-

gina's Anglican churches.

St. Andrew's closed in

1968 after years of

declining attendance. Decades of

obscurity have not diminished the

power of this building to transport us

to another time and place.

The enigmatic cornerstone incised

with the Masonic device is perhaps

key to understanding the structure's

medieval origins and enduring

stonework.

With the carnage of World War I,

relatively few stone structures were

being built in rural areas due to the

lack of men and horses. It is remark-

able that such an edifice was built in

a village where population peaked at

173 in 1906, declining steadily

thereafter.

St. Andrew's owes its

survival to age-old construc-

tion techniques, and the

determination of a few

individuals who have

maintained the site since

1968. The grounds are

mowed every summer and

the basement is pumped dry

during the wet years.

However, with major

repairs looming, the village

council decided to sell the

structure. Fortunately, the

devoted conservators of St.

Andrew's intervened and

purchased the property in

2011 under the name of

Heward Stone

Church Inc.

Fundraising

events and bequests

paid for a new roof

in 2012. Currently,

the group is focused

on repointing

stonework and

restoration of

plasterwork,

windows and

painting.

Future plans

include installation

of electricity and a heat source, then a

separate on-site bathroom/service

facility for community events and

weddings.

To view the church, contact

Brenda Griffin (306-457-3223) or

Laura Sabados (306-457-8180).

Their e-mail address is

[email protected].

Sources: [1] Leader Post archives,

October, 1921;

[2] “Our Towns” 2008, David

McLennan, Canadian Plains

Research Center;

[3] “Prairie Trails and Tales” 1977,

(Stoughton and district history

book);

[4] Heward Stone Church Inc

W

By Leigh Robinson

A new roof was added in 2012 to St. Andrew's Anglican church in Heward (above) and repointing of stonework continued this summer.


IN THE NEWSIN THE NEWS

Regina Indian Industrial

School Cemetery Report

Tabled Again Until April

A report from the city

administration on the Regina

Indian Industrial School

Cemetery (See Page 14 in the

summer edition of Worth

magazine) has been tabled

until the April meeting of the

Regina Municipal Heritage

Advisory Committee (MHAC).

The committee voted to

table the report for a second

time after delegations to the

September 8 MHAC meet-

ing indicated that consider-

able and positive discus-

sions had taken place over

the summer with represen-

tatives from various groups

including the property

owner, several First Nation

communities and an organi-

zation in which the United

Church is active.

McDiarmid needs your help

Gord McDiarmid of Winnipeg needs your help. What started

out as an innocent genealogical search for relatives has turned

into a massive research project for McDiarmid.

He has identified more than 200 projects on the Prairies

involving either the J. McDiarmid Co. Ltd. (1906 -1940) or the

J & J McDiarmid Brothers Partnership (1892 -1905). He be-

lieves there's more and invites suggestions and inquiries be

emailed to [email protected].

Worth Editor Resigns

Joe Ralko has decided the time has

come to move on.

He informed the Architectural

Heritage Society of Saskatchewan

board of directors in August that the

autumn edition of Worth magazine

would the last for which he is

responsible as editor.

In 2007, Ralko became the editor

of Façade, the black and white

membership newsletter then published

by the society. He coordinated the transition and renaming of it to

a full-colour magazine called Saskatchewan Heritage Quarterly

in 2009 and also managed the makeover of the quarterly as

Worth magazine in 2011.


Meet the New Heritage Minister

Mark Docherty was named

Minister of Parks, Culture and

Sport as well as Minister

responsible for the Provincial

Capital Commission on June 5th

by Premier Brad Wall.

The Stewardship Division of

the Ministry of Parks, Culture

and Sport includes the Heritage

Conservation Branch,

Saskatchewan Heritage

Foundation and the Royal

Saskatchewan Museum.

Docherty replaced Kevin

Doherty who was named Minister

of Advanced Education and Minister Responsible

for Saskatchewan Telecommunications (SaskTel).

Doherty had been the Minister of Parks, Culture

and Sport since 2012.

In addition, Docherty is also the cabinet minister

responsible for:

Creative Saskatchewan

Interprovincial Lotteries

Meewasin Valley Authority

Saskatchewan Arts Board

Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts

Wakamow Valley Authority

Wanuskewin Heritage Park Authority

Wascana Centre Authority

Western Development Museum

Docherty is the Saskatchewan Party Member of

the Legislative Assembly for the constituency of

Regina Coronation Park, the north end area of the

city where he was born and spent his early life. He

was first elected to the Saskatchewan Legislature

in the 2011 provincial election.

Professionally, Mark has

worked as an instructor at SIAST

and as a member of the

Transition Team in the Ministry

of Advanced Education,

Employment and Immigration

with the Government of

Saskatchewan.

In addition, he worked for the

Saskatchewan Government in

many other roles, including

Director of Dales House, a

Director of Immigration, a

Supervisor for Health and a

Team Leader at the Paul Dojack Youth Centre.

Mark has earned three degrees – a Bachelor of

Science through Saskatchewan Indian Federated

College, a Bachelor of Human Justice from

University of Regina, majoring in human rights and

a Masters of Social Work, also from U of R.

His interest in education has led Mark to teach

Kawacatoose LPN students and youth care workers

for SIAST and several courses at the University of

Regina.

Mark is very involved in his community. He is a

founding board member of Street Culture Kids

Project Inc. and has served on the Board of the

North Central Community Association.

Docherty has also led a very physically active life.

He has represented Saskatchewan at the provincial

and national levels in team handball, rugby and

lacrosse.

He has competed in triathlons around the world

and is a three-time finisher of the Hawaii Ironman

Triathlon World Championships.

Honourable Mark Docherty


ragana Perusinovic, who was

Delected a member of the board of

directors of the Architectural

Heritage Society of Saskatchewan in

2013, now is the treasurer of the federally-

registered charitable organization.

“As an intern architect I was seeking

ways of becoming more involved in the

architectural community in Regina and

Saskatchewan,” she explained.

“My experiences living and studying in

Europe have informed and developed my

interest in and understanding of the

impact of heritage architecture. This led

me to becoming involved with the AHSS.”

Dragana also is a member of the Devel-

opment Committee of the Regina Ware-

house Business Improvement District.

“I believe the biggest challenge for built

heritage is ensuring its continued use,”

she said.

“Our ability to adapt heritage buildings

to new uses will inform and define the

future of built heritage in our environment.

I believe the value of built heritage is in our

experiences in these buildings.

“Redefining these experiences through

adaptive reuse and reimagining these

buildings today and in the future are for me

fascinating prospects.

Dragana moved to Canada from Bel-

grade, Serbia when she was 10 years old.

She is a graduate of the Master's pro-

gram in architecture, having completed her

architectural thesis at Carleton University

in Ottawa. In addition she studied archi-

tecture in Germany and Italy before mov-

ing back to Regina in 2011 to pursue a

career in architecture.

She now is an intern architect with

Kreate Architecture and Design in Regina,

Saskatchewan is involved in all aspects of

the practice from design through contract

administration. W

Dragana Perusinovic - Treasurer

M E E T t h e B O A R D o f D I R E C T O R S


With some

problems, the

answer is there,

right in front

of us.

WORTHREMEMBERING


sits lower than the fin-ished surface and should be filled.

The most practical and reversible material for this is wax. A clear paste wax such as Conservator's Wax rubbed into a scratch fills the network of fissures and leaves the upper surface smooth.

With no more spaces to play around in, light behaves in a predictable manner and reflects only the colour of the soapstone.

A watermark occurs because water or alcohol was allowed to sit on a

Ascratch on a soapstone sculpture. A water-mark on varnished

wood. Snow. What do these things have in com-mon?

Yes, they're all white, but it's more than that. They're white for the same reason.

It's common knowledge that colours we see are the colours of light reflected from a surface. Something looks red because it has absorbed every wavelength of light except red. (I remember my chagrin when I first learned this, realizing that what I thought was my blue shirt was everything but blue.)

How this absorption works is that in a smooth, solid surface, the mole-cules are arranged in a regular structure, per-fectly spaced so that some wavelengths of light can get through and be ab-sorbed, while others can-not, and are reflected.

In a red material, red is the only wavelength that cannot get through. Scratch this red surface, however, and you've upset the structure, creating a jumble of edges, fissures, and facets.

Light impinging on these now random sur-faces bounces off in a myriad of directions.

Because this light is so scattered, none gets ab-sorbed. So not just red,

When Light Misbehaves

By Sharon Deasonwww.sharondeason.com

CONSERVING the PAST

Above: A classic watermark in varnish, the result of hot water leaking out of the conservator's own poorly-placed coffee maker.Right: The same area of damage, after aggressive buffing with Autosol Metal Polish and waxing.

but the entire spectrum, is reflected. This combina-tion of every wavelength results in white.

This is the white we see in the scratch in soapstone and in a watermark in varnish. It is not a condi-tion of colour; it's a condi-tion of texture.

Thus, it becomes straightforward to fix. To correct colour, we correct roughness. To correct roughness, we simply make it smooth.

Smoothening is done either by adding material or by removing it.

A scratch in soapstone

varnished or shellacked surface, causing a mesh of fissures in its otherwise clear crystalline structure, similar to the scratch, only this time it sits above the original surface because the material has swollen.

By buffing with an abrasive powder, the high spots and the microscopic fissures are rubbed down, rendering the surface smooth.

Light is no longer dif-fused from its surface, so the unsightly white disap-pears. Fuller's Earth or Rottenstone are com-monly-used abrasives which, when used with mineral oil and a lot of elbow grease, will cut watermarks effectively.

Recently, I tried buffing watermarks with Autosol Metal Polish, with out-standing results. Acquir-ing a simple understand-ing of problems leads us to simple solutions.

We know that's happen-ing when we start seeing similarities in other as-pects of life. Damage to our precious materials is like new-fallen snow. It's full of space, inviting light to dance. There's something for you to contemplate the next time you head out to shovel.

Sharon Deason, a Queen's University graduate, is a Saskatoon-based private conservator specializing in the restoration of decorative and gilded objects, fine frames and heritage interiors.

W


COMMENTS: In the mid to late 19th century, bricks were manufactured at

Beaver River, a small community north of Yarmouth. According to the

local history book, Historical Trails through Port Maitland, Beaver River,

Sanford, Short Beach, Darling's Lake, “…there were two brick making kilns

at Beaver River. Evidence of one of the kilns may be found near what

remains of the old breakwater at the present day outlet of Beaver River.

The second kiln was located at what is now Bartlett's Beach.”

A number of the older bricks in the region, including some found at

Port Maitland, display an unusual diamond-shaped frog, seen in various

American states, but much less common in Canada. Some have also been

found in Australia. As there was regular trade between New England and

Yarmouth, it is possible that the concept for this diamond shaped frog came

from the USA.

The chimney for Charles & Dora Nickerson's house, built by Howard

Curry in Port Maitland around 1885, included these bricks with their dia-

mond-shaped frog.

Sources: [1] http://brickcollecting.com/collection.htm;

[2] Historical Trails through Port Maitland, et al,

1985, p. 39;

[3] Personal Communication: Susan & Rod Moores,

Port Maitland, 9 Sept. 2013 and July 29, 2014;

[4] House Photo: Susan Moores;

[5] www.johnnyfivecollectables.com/

2013_09_01_archive.html

Brick Name: “Diamond Frog”

Brick Manufacturer: Beaver River Brickyard (?)

Manufacture Location: Beaver River, Nova Scotia.

Date(s) of Manufacture: ca. 1875

Brick Type: Face

Approximate Dimensions:

8 1/8 x 3 5/8 x 2 1/4 inches / 205 x 93 x 55 mm

Colour: dark red, smooth

NORTH AMERICAN BRICK

By Frank Korvemaker - [email protected]

Variations on a diamond-shaped frog from American brick yards: (top) Excelsior, N.Y.;

(bottom) E.L. Cook, Mass.

Detail of the diamond-shaped frog.

The Nickerson - Moores House, Port Maitland, N.S. The original chimneys were made with bricks featuring a diamond-shaped frog.


2014 BOARD of DIRECTORS

Rod Stutt, President, Moose Jaw

Al Gill, Past President, Regina

Terry Sinclair, Vice President, Regina

Brian Bell, Secretary, Moose Jaw

Dragana Perusinovic,

Treasurer, Regina

Michel Fortier, Saskatoon

Patricia Glanville, Regina

STAFF

Lovella Jones, Provincial Coordinator

Architectural Heritage Society of Saskatchewan

Become a Society Member.

The Architectural Heritage Society of Saskatchewan encourages,

supports and rewards meaningful conservation of our built heritage. Any

person, enterprise or community-based organization may apply to become a

full and active member of AHSS for an annual membership fee of just $20.

Fees help the Society communicate with members and provide grant

funding for community-based programs and projects across Saskatchewan.

To join simply complete and mail to AHSS, 202 -1275 Broad St., Regina, SK,

S4R 1Y2 or visit www.ahsk.ca for information under “Join”.

Yes, I/we want to become a member of AHSS

Yes, I/we want to receive WORTH Magazine free


____________________________________________________________________

Name

____________________________________________________________________

Address

___________________________ ____________________________________

Community Province

___________________________ ____________________________________

Postal Code Email address (strictly for our use)

#202 – 1275 Broad St.

Regina, SK S4R 1Y2

SASKATCHEWAN'S ARCHITECTURAL

HERITAGE MAGAZINE

worth magazine - fall 2014

Documents