Description of Historic Place

The Saskatchewan Wheat Pool Elevator is a Municipal Heritage Property located adjacent to the railway track in the Village of Parkside. The property features a wood-crib grain elevator constructed in 1959 and a wood-frame annex constructed in 1951.

Heritage Value

Valued as the last of the three grain elevators that once stood in Parkside, the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool Elevator is a landmark in the community. While there were once more than 3,000 country elevators in Saskatchewan, the consolidation of the grain handling system rendered wood-crib elevators obsolete and, except for a few hundred, most have been demolished. While no longer part of the grain handling system, grain elevators such as the structure in Parkside, reflect a community’s agricultural roots.

The Saskatchewan Wheat Pool Elevator is also valued for its form and design. It is an example of the tall, flat-top standard plan elevators constructed during the 1950s. These unusually tall elevators possessed larger storage capacity than the medium-height sloped shoulder elevators they replaced. A wood-frame annex which had been built to serve a previous elevator on the site, provided additional grain storage space. Their form, massing and role in grain handing system made elevators such as this one enduring symbols of Saskatchewan’s rural, agricultural identity.

Source:

Village of Parkside Bylaw No. 3 of 1998.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of Saskatchewan Wheat Pool Elevator resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements embodying its status as a landmark, such as its orientation on its original lot;
-those elements common to wood-crib grain elevators, such as its form, massing and wood-crib construction;
-those elements common to the tall standard plan elevators built during the 1950s, such as its height and flat roof.