Description of Historic Place

The Sask Tel Building at 103 MacLeod Avenue East is a Municipal Heritage Property consisting of two lots in the City of Melfort. The property features a one-and-a-half-storey brick office buildings constructed in 1922. Additions were made to the building using similar Claybank brick in 1953 and 1963. A final addition was made in 1977 using painted concrete block.

Heritage Value

The Sask Tel Building at 103 MacLeod Avenue East is valued for its association with the creation of the long-distance telephone system. This building was constructed by the provincial government in 1922 to house a telephone exchange. The province started building a long-distance network in 1908 when it realised the potential the service held for improving communications between Saskatchewan’s far-flung communities. Local telephone systems were linked to the nearest provincial exchange, such as the Melfort facility, which in turn were networked to each other and to other exchanges across Canada. Once linked to an exchange, calls could be placed throughout North America.

The Sask Tel Building at 103 MacLeod Avenue East is also valued as a landmark in the community. One of the oldest buildings in Melfort, it is the first in a series of three similar buildings designed for the Department of Telephones by the Regina-based architectural firm of Storey and Van Egmond. This basic design, an elaboration of the Weyburn telephone exchange that was constructed in 1912, would also be realised in Swift Current and North Battleford during the 1920s. The building, with its central entranceway flanked by pilasters with metal cornice, demonstrates a simplified classical influence. Melfort’s status as a regional centre was confirmed by the three additions to the building that were required to house additional switching equipment. Although this building no longer houses telecommunications equipment, it continues to serve as a home to a branch of the Royal Canadian Legion and remains a landmark in the community.

Source:

City of Melfort Bylaw No. 91-14.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of Sask Tel Building at 103 MacLeod Avenue East resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements reflecting the association with the formation of Saskatchewan’s telephone system, such as the provincial crest surmounting the main entrance and the building’s orientation on its original lot;
-those elements reflecting its status as a landmark in the community, such as its brick construction, the pilasters flanking the entrance and the cornice topped by an elaborate parapet.