Home / Accueil

Power House

401 Melfort Street, Melfort, Saskatchewan, S0E, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1991/07/15

Front view of Power Plant, 2008; Winkel, 2008.
Power Plant
No Image
No Image

Other Name(s)

Power House
Melfort Museum
Melfort Power Station

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1913/01/01 to 1913/12/31

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2009/03/26

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The Power House is a Municipal Heritage Property situated on a municipal lot at 401 Melfort Street in the City of Melfort. The designation applies to a one-storey, brick building constructed in 1913.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Power House lies in its status as a public building in the City of Melfort. Constructed early in the twentieth century, the building housed Melfort’s first power generator that began supplying power to a few of the community’s residents on October 9, 1913. Demand for electricity increased as the community grew; so much so that on August 27, 1929 the community voted to sell the Power House to Canadian Utilities Limited, whose larger system could better meet the electrical demands of Melfort's citizens. In 1948, Canadian Utilities sold the Power House to Saskatchewan Power, a newly created Crown Corporation, for incorporation into its provincial electrical generation and transmission system. In 1973, the building became home to the Melfort and District Museum, a role the Power House continues to play today.

The heritage value of the property also lies in the building’s architecture. Made of red brick highlighted with lighter brick around the window and door openings, the building symbolizes strength and permanency similar to other power production facilities built during the same era. Favouring practicality over aesthetics, the utilitarian building has a hip roof clad with sheet metal, the original steel weathervane, and corner parapets. The interior of the building has been extensively renovated since it was built; however, a small portion of the original ceiling remains clad in decorative tin sheeting, a feature not found in most early industrial structures. Located on its original site, the building remains a landmark in the community.

Source:

City of Melfort Bylaw No. 91-10.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of The Power House resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those features related to its status as a public building in the City, including its placement at its original location;
-those architectural elements associated with industrial buildings built during the early-twentieth century, including its red brick exterior highlighted with lighter brick around the doors and windows and diamond-shaped patterns on the front; corner parapets and original weather vane;
-the decorative tin sheeting on the ceiling.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Saskatchewan

Recognition Authority

Local Governments (SK)

Recognition Statute

Heritage Property Act, s. 11(1)(a)

Recognition Type

Municipal Heritage Property

Recognition Date

1991/07/15

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

1913/01/01 to 1913/12/31

Theme - Category and Type

Developing Economies
Technology and Engineering

Function - Category and Type

Current

Leisure
Museum

Historic

Industry
Power Generation Facility

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Saskatchewan Ministry of Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport Heritage Resources Branch 1919 Saskatchewan Drive Regina, SK File: MHP 1423

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

MHP 1423

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

SEARCH THE CANADIAN REGISTER

Advanced SearchAdvanced Search
Find Nearby PlacesFIND NEARBY PLACES PrintPRINT
Nearby Places