Eaton's Building (Saskatoon)
Encyclopedia
The Eaton's Building is a landmark building located in downtown Saskatoon
, Saskatchewan
, Canada
. Formerly serving as an Eaton's
department store, the building is currently occupied by the Saskatoon Board of Education
.
announced that it would construct an eight-storey store at the northeast corner of 3rd Avenue and 21st Street in Saskatoon's Central Business District. Designed by the Montreal
architecture firm of Ross and Macdonald
, along with local architect Frank Martin, the store was to have been the tallest building in the city, but was eventually built to only three storeys.
Constructed in the Neo-Renaissance
style, with a tyndall stone
and black marble
façade and fifteen tripled-arched Palladian
windows, the store opened for business on December 5, 1928. In a manner reminiscent of the Eaton's Montreal store
, or of the plans for its soon-to-be-built new Toronto store
, the building boasted a luxurious interior, with elaborate bronze fixtures and terrazzo
flooring. The store also featured an art gallery, a children's toyland with a mechanical lion, a meat department with an 80-foot marble counter and a Mediterranean-style dining room.
In 1970, Eaton's relocated its store to the nearby Midtown Plaza
. Serving briefly as athlete housing for the 1971 Canada Winter Games
, the building was subsequently occupied from 1973 to 2000 by an outlet of the Army & Navy discount department store. Among the notable features of the Army & Navy store was a nautical-themed cafeteria. In the mid-1980s, the building was linked to a small shopping centre, office block and parkade
that was constructed next door.
of the façade, the terrazzo flooring, the brass fixtures on the street-level display windows, and the original wooden handrails and brass fittings on the stairways to their original condition.
Saskatoon
Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Formerly serving as an Eaton's
Eaton's
The T. Eaton Co. Limited was once Canada's largest department store retailer. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an Irish immigrant. Eaton's grew to become a retail and social institution in Canada, with stores across the country, buying offices across the globe, and a catalogue...
department store, the building is currently occupied by the Saskatoon Board of Education
Saskatoon Public School Division
Saskatoon Public Schools is the largest school system in Saskatoon and is the second largest in Saskatchewan.Saskatoon Public Schools has approximately 22,000 students with 44 elementary schools and 9 high schools. The offices of the Saskatoon School Board are housed in the Eaton's Building. ...
.
History
In 1927, Eaton'sEaton's
The T. Eaton Co. Limited was once Canada's largest department store retailer. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an Irish immigrant. Eaton's grew to become a retail and social institution in Canada, with stores across the country, buying offices across the globe, and a catalogue...
announced that it would construct an eight-storey store at the northeast corner of 3rd Avenue and 21st Street in Saskatoon's Central Business District. Designed by the Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
architecture firm of Ross and Macdonald
Ross and Macdonald
Ross and Macdonald was one of Canada's most notable architecture firms in the early 20th century. Based in Montreal, Quebec, the firm originally operated as a partnership between George Allen Ross and David MacFarlane from 1907 to 1912. MacFarlane retired in 1913, and Robert Henry Macdonald...
, along with local architect Frank Martin, the store was to have been the tallest building in the city, but was eventually built to only three storeys.
Constructed in the Neo-Renaissance
Neo-Renaissance
Renaissance Revival is an all-encompassing designation that covers many 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Grecian nor Gothic but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of classicizing Italian modes...
style, with a tyndall stone
Tyndall Stone
Tyndall stone is a dolomitic limestone quarried from the Selkirk member of the Ordovician Red River Formation, in the vicinity of Tyndall, Manitoba, Canada. It was first used in 1832 for building Lower Fort Garry, and has since become popular for building purposes throughout Canada and the United...
and black marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
façade and fifteen tripled-arched Palladian
Palladian architecture
Palladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from the designs of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio . The term "Palladian" normally refers to buildings in a style inspired by Palladio's own work; that which is recognised as Palladian architecture today is an evolution of...
windows, the store opened for business on December 5, 1928. In a manner reminiscent of the Eaton's Montreal store
Complexe Les Ailes (Montreal)
Complexe Les Ailes is a retail and office complex on Saint Catherine Street in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Designed by the firm Ross and Macdonald and first constructed between 1925 and 1927, the building served as the Eaton's department store until 1999...
, or of the plans for its soon-to-be-built new Toronto store
College Park (Toronto)
College Park is a shopping mall, residential and office complex located on the southwest corner of Yonge Street and College Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
, the building boasted a luxurious interior, with elaborate bronze fixtures and terrazzo
Terrazzo
Terrazzo is a composite material poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of marble, quartz, granite, glass or other suitable chips, sprinkled or unsprinkled, and poured with a binder that is cementitious, chemical or a combination of both...
flooring. The store also featured an art gallery, a children's toyland with a mechanical lion, a meat department with an 80-foot marble counter and a Mediterranean-style dining room.
In 1970, Eaton's relocated its store to the nearby Midtown Plaza
Midtown Plaza (Saskatoon)
Midtown Plaza is a shopping mall in Downtown Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, that is owned by the Oxford Properties Group. The two main anchors are Sears Canada and The Bay and the shopping centre has a total store count of approximately 130 stores, making it the largest shopping centre in...
. Serving briefly as athlete housing for the 1971 Canada Winter Games
Canada Games
The Canada Games is a high-level multi-sport event with a National Artists Program held every two years in Canada, alternating between the Canada Winter Games and the Canada Summer Games. Athletes are strictly amateur only, and represent their province or territory.The Games were first held in 1967...
, the building was subsequently occupied from 1973 to 2000 by an outlet of the Army & Navy discount department store. Among the notable features of the Army & Navy store was a nautical-themed cafeteria. In the mid-1980s, the building was linked to a small shopping centre, office block and parkade
Multi-storey car park
A multi-storey car-park is a building designed specifically to be for car parking and where there are a number of floors or levels on which parking takes place...
that was constructed next door.
Restoration
After Army and Navy vacated the building, it was purchased by the Saskatoon Board of Education. The Board undertook a revitalization of the building, which included the restorationBuilding restoration
Building restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
of the façade, the terrazzo flooring, the brass fixtures on the street-level display windows, and the original wooden handrails and brass fittings on the stairways to their original condition.