Description of Historic Place

The Boarding House and Beaver Lumber Office is a Municipal Heritage Property located within the Town of Wolseley at 101 Blanchard Street. The property features a two-storey, wood-frame boarding house constructed in 1901, a small, one-storey wood-frame shop constructed in 1904, and one non-contributing metal shed.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Boarding House and Beaver Lumber Office lies in its association with the Beaver Lumber Company. In late 1883, Wolseley residents, brothers E.A and R.S. Banbury, established Banbury Bros. Lumber Company. The company prospered, and in 1904, amalgamated with Gibson Lumber, which owned several lumber yards across Saskatchewan. In turn, in 1906 the company merged with lumber companies in Winnipeg and Regina to create Beaver Lumber Company. The Beaver Lumber store was among the first in the new chain that would later run over 300 stores across the country and become one of the largest lumber retailers in Canada.

The heritage value of the property also lies in its former use as a boarding house. Built in 1901, the ten-room boarding house operated continuously until 1976. The property continues to boast the original layout, with living quarters on the main floor and guest bedrooms on the second.

The heritage value of the property also lies in its use as the home of the local museum. In 1980 the property was chosen as the permanent home of the local Wolseley and District Museum. The long-term use as a boarding house and museum has established the property as a prominent landmark in the community.

Source:

Town of Wolseley Bylaw No. 14/05.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Boarding House and Beaver Lumber Office resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements that reflect the property’s association with the Beaver Lumber Company, including the Beaver Lumber shop's boomtown wood façade, small rectangular form and regular massing, wood siding and exterior Beaver Lumber signage on the front façade;
-those elements that reflect the property's former use as a boarding house, including its rectangular form and regular massing, wood siding, gable roof the interior layout with large living spaces on the main floor and the six small rooms dividing the second floor, and its location on its original site;
-those elements that reflect the property’s use as a museum, including the “museum” sign on the front façade of the boarding house.