Description of Historic Place

The Melville City Hall is a Provincial Heritage Property which occupies four city lots on the corner of Main Street and 4th Avenue in Melville. The property features a two-storey, brick-and-stone building with a large central dome, constructed in 1912-1913.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Melville City Hall lies in its status as a representative example of the numerous brick-and-stone combination town hall/opera houses that were constructed across Saskatchewan prior to World War I. Built during a period of economic boom and influenced by the tremendous immigration to the prairies during the previous decade, Melville was just one of several communities who initiated the construction of new municipal buildings. Buoyed by feelings of optimism about the future, many of these communities, including Melville, erected buildings that surpassed their needs. The town hall/opera houses became the centre for municipal administration as well as arts and cultural life in the community. In addition to offices and auditoriums, many of these buildings housed other municipal services, such as jails, fire stations and libraries. In total, 19 such multi-purpose buildings were erected in Saskatchewan, with the Melville City Hall remaining the most historically intact and the only one to possess an imposing central dome over the auditorium.

Further heritage value also resides in the association of the property with the noted architectural firm Storey and Van Egmond. Based in Regina, this firm was responsible for designing over 600 buildings in the province between 1907 and the early 1950s. Included in that total were numerous public buildings, churches, office complexes, residences and other structures which have assumed landmark status in their communities. Like many of their public buildings, the firm designed the Melville City Hall in the Classical Revival style. In addition to the Melville City Hall, Storey and Van Egmond were also responsible for the design of the town hall/opera house in Craik Saskatchewan.


Sources:

Province of Saskatchewan, Notice of Intention to Designate as Provincial Heritage Property under The Heritage Property Act, March 27, 1990.

Province of Saskatchewan, Order to Designate Provincial Heritage Property under the Heritage Property Act, April 3, 1991.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Melville City Hall resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements that reflect the building's Classical Revival architectural style including the symmetrical form, regular massing, decorative stone trim, rounded-arch windows, entablature, metal cornice and metal-clad dome;
-those elements that reflect the administrative function of the building, including the use of the main floor for office space and exterior signage;
-the auditorium on the second floor, including the vaulted ceiling, wood floor, stage with opening surrounded by columns, and the metal-and-glass chandeliers;
-the formal exterior entryways, including multi-door openings on either end of the building, wood doors and segmented transom lights;
-the siting of the building on its original, prominent location.