Prince Edward Building Explained

Prince Edward Building
Former Names:Old Post Office
Old City Hall (Mall)
Building Type:Former: Post office
Current: Theatre/commercial
Architectural Style:Beaux-Arts
Location:Regina, Saskatchewan
Address:1801 Scarth Street
Current Tenants:Globe Theatre, Regina
Coordinates:50.4502°N -104.6104°W
Start Date:1906
Completion Date:1907
Renovation Date:1929
Architect:David Ewart
Ren Architect:Storey and Van Egmond

The Prince Edward Building is the current official (albeit seldom noted) name of the historic post office building in Regina, Saskatchewan, located at the corner of Scarth Street and 11th Avenue. The site had been occupied by the original Knox Presbyterian Church from 1885 until the land was sold to the government in 1905. The church moved to a new building on the corner of 12th Avenue and Lorne Street.[1] [2]

The post office was designed in the Beaux-Arts style by David Ewart, chief architect for the Dominion of Canada. Construction of the post office took place between 1906 and 1907. Its distinctive bell tower was added in 1912, featuring a J. Smith and Sons clock. An addition to the south of the building was constructed in 1929, designed by Regina architects Storey and Van Egmond. Dormer windows in the attic storey were added at the same time. The building functioned as the post office from 1907 until 1956, when the main post office moved to a new building on South Railway Street (now Saskatchewan Drive).

The old post office was declared surplus by the federal government in 1962, and was sold to the City of Regina for $100,000. City offices moved in that same year, when they vacated the old city hall (later demolished in 1965) on 11th Avenue between Scarth and Rose Streets.[3] [4] The building served as Regina's city hall until the present-day city hall was opened in 1976.[5]

In 1981, the Globe Theatre acquired permanent space on the second and third floors of the building.[6] In February 1982, the old post office was one of the first buildings in Regina to be designated as a municipal heritage property.[7]

For a time referred to as the Old City Hall Mall, it was officially renamed The Prince Edward Building in 2003 when Prince Edward visited the Globe Theatre. The building currently houses the theatre, small shops and a restaurant.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: A History of Regina in Photographs, Buildings. Regina Public Library. 2009-01-30.
  2. Web site: A History of Regina in Photographs, Churches . Regina Public Library . 2012-01-07 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130214160522/http://reginalibrary.ca/prairiehistory/highlights_churches.html#5 . 2013-02-14.
  3. Web site: Regina: The Early Years 1880-1950. Saskatchewan Council for Archives and Archivists. 2009-01-30.
  4. Web site: A History of Regina in Photographs, Buildings. Regina Public Library. 2009-01-30.
  5. Web site: Regina City Hall, Regina. SkyscraperPage.com. 2009-01-30.
  6. Web site: History. Globe Theatre. 2011-09-06.
  7. Web site: Regina: The Early Years 1880-1950. Saskatchewan Council for Archives and Archivists. 2009-01-30.