Description of Historic Place

The Thornton Residence is a Municipal Heritage Property located at 2341 McIntyre Street in the Centre Square neighbourhood of Regina. The property features a 1909 two-storey house which is faced with layered brick veneer and wood shingle siding.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the property resides in its Queen Anne Revival style of architecture, which was popular in Canada prior to the First World War. Prominent Regina contractors, Archibald W. McGregor and Henry Black constructed this building in 1909, along with many other early residences. Distinctive Queen Anne Revival features of the property include the variety of exterior materials used, such as layered brick veneer on the main level, wood shingle siding on the second floor, and a prominent half-timbered and stucco gabled projects above the two-storey bay window at the front of the dwelling. Other characteristics of the style include the steeply pitched roof, enclosed porch, asymmetrical massing, and irregular elevations.

The heritage value of the property also resides in its association with the original owner, Louis Augustus Thornton, who resided here until 1922. Thornton, a professional engineer, joined the provincial Department of Public Works in 1906 where he was the resident engineer for Saskatoon’s steel Traffic Bridge and for the first traffic bridge at Battleford in 1909. He served as Regina’s City Engineer in 1910 and 1911, and City Commissioner from 1912 to 1929. He was appointed the first chairman of the Saskatchewan Power Commission in 1929, serving in this capacity until 1945. Among his other community activities, Thornton is remembered for his long service to Regina’s Public School Board and the Saskatchewan Music Festival Association. His name is recognized in Regina’s Thornton Avenue and the viewing gallery at the top of the SaskPower building in Regina. Louis Thornton received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 1967.

The heritage significance of 2341 McIntyre Street also resides in its contribution within an intact, older residential streetscape situated within Regina's first distinctly residential neighbourhood, which was largely developed prior to the onset of the Fist World War. The Thornton Residence forms an integral component of one of this community’s most significant heritage streetscapes.

Source:

City of Regina Bylaw No.2004-67, dated August 19, 2004.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Thornton Residence lies in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements associated with the contractors’ interpretation of the Queen Anne Revival style of architecture, including the layered brick, wood shingle siding, and gable ends with mock half-timbering and inset stucco, steep gable roof, and asymmetrical massing;
-those elements that reflect the property’s association with former distinguished engineer, civil servant, and community volunteer, Louis A. Thornton, including its location on its original site;
-those elements which speak to its location within the Transitional Area and to its contribution to the region’s historic architectural character, including the historical integrity of the house’s façade and the position within the McIntyre Street streetscape.