Other Name(s)
Hudson's Bay Company Store
Pioneer General Stores
Hudson's Bay Company Store - Fort Qu'Appelle
Links and documents
n/a
Construction Date(s)
1897/01/01 to 1897/12/31
Listed on the Canadian Register:
2004/06/25
Statement of Significance
Description of Historic Place
The Hudson's Bay Company Store is a Provincial Heritage Property occupying one commercial lot in the central business district of Fort Qu'Appelle. The property features a 2-storey brick and stone building and attached 1-storey annex that were constructed in 1897.
Heritage Value
The heritage value of the Hudson's Bay Company Store lies in its status as the oldest surviving retail store building of the Hudson's Bay Company in Canada. Designed by Archibald MacDonald, the last Chief Factor in the service of the Company, the building represents the transition of the Hudson's Bay Company from a fur trading operation to a retail merchandising business. To distance itself from the its fur trade image, the Company constructed this stone 2-storey building with one-storey annex and faced it with an uncommonly ornate brick façade. Once touted as "The finest store west of Winnipeg", the 1897 store, located on the town's main street, was a dramatic change from the small, wooden building located on the edge of town. Notable on the façade were two prominent signs advertising the Hudson's Bay Company. The refined image was perpetuated inside with a modern retail area covered by an elaborate pressed tin ceiling.
Source:
Province of Saskatchewan, Notice of Intention to Designate as Provincial Heritage Property under The Heritage Property Act, August 23, 1983.
Province of Saskatchewan, Order to Designate as Provincial Heritage Property under The Heritage Property Act, November 8, 1983.
Character-Defining Elements
The heritage value of the Hudson's Bay Company Store resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements which reflect the building's use as a Hudson's Bay Company Store, including signage and fixtures;
-elements that reflect the substantial and refined nature of the store, including its form and massing, stone construction and decorative brick façade, crenellation along the roofline, recessed entry ways, large plate glass windows and the pressed tin ceilings.
Recognition
Jurisdiction
Saskatchewan
Recognition Authority
Government of Saskatchewan
Recognition Statute
Heritage Property Act, s. 39(1)
Recognition Type
Provincial Heritage Property
Recognition Date
1983/11/08
Historical Information
Significant Date(s)
n/a
Theme - Category and Type
- Developing Economies
- Trade and Commerce
Function - Category and Type
Current
- Commerce / Commercial Services
- Eating or Drinking Establishment
Historic
- Commerce / Commercial Services
- Office or Office Building
Architect / Designer
McDonald, Archibald
Builder
Charles Payne
Additional Information
Location of Supporting Documentation
Heritage Conservation Branch
Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport
3211 Albert Street
Regina, Saskatchewan
S4S 5W6
Cross-Reference to Collection
Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier
PHP 120
Status
Published
Related Places
n/a