The beautiful Ackerman Building in the historic Warehouse District of Regina was designated a Municipal Heritage property in 1990, and added to the CNHS in 2006.
A bronze historical marker preserves and relates the history of this beautiful warehouse building, now turned into condominiums for residents.
The marker reads as follows:
"ACKERMAN BUILDING
2128 DEWDNEY AVENUE
Municipal Heritage Property designated in 1991
This building was constructed in 1911 for harness maker B. F. Ackerman. He occupied the premises until 1925. Subsequent occupants were Hudson’s Bay Company, Great West Saddlery, cartage and storage firms such as Sneed’s Security Storage, MacCosham and Allied VanLines, commercial offices and various retail, wholesale and manufacturing firms.
The Ackerman building was designed by the firm of Storey and Van Egmond, and constructed by Parsons Construction Company at a cost of $45,000. At the time, it was the largest and most expensive warehouse in Regina. The structure suffered significant damage as a result of the 1912 tornado but was quickly rebuilt. It is one of the oldest remaining warehouse buildings along the historic Dewdney Avenue in the Warehouse District. The building has now been converted to residential condominiums.
City of Regina
2005"
From the CNHS website: (
visit link)
"2128/2132 Dewdney Avenue
2128/32 Dewdney Avenue, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4R, Canada
Formally Recognized: 1991/09/09
OTHER NAME(S)
2128/2132 Dewdney Avenue
Ackerman Building
LINKS AND DOCUMENTS
n/a
CONSTRUCTION DATE(S)
1911/01/01 to 1911/12/31
LISTED ON THE CANADIAN REGISTER: 2006/08/18
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
2128/2132 Dewdney Avenue is a Municipal Heritage Property which comprises five commercial lots in the City of Regina’s historic warehouse district. The property features a five-storey, red-brick and stone building, known as the Ackerman Building, which was constructed in 1911.
HERITAGE VALUE
The heritage value of 2128/2132 Dewdney Avenue resides in its status as a representative example of a pre-First World War warehouse building. The prominent Regina architectural firm of Storey and Van Egmond designed this warehouse in 1911 for harness maker B.F. Ackerman. Other occupants of this building have included the Hudson’s Bay Company, Great West Saddlery, various cartage and storage firms, and other commercial tenants. This building’s utilitarian design, which is reminiscent of the simplified modern architecture of the Chicago School, is expressed through the property's flat roof, rectangular window pattern, vertical lines of the façade, and conservative decorative elements. The large denticulated cornice, which was part of the original design and also typical of the Chicago School, was removed several years ago.
The heritage value of 2128/2132 Dewdney Avenue also lies in its status as one of the oldest remaining warehouse buildings along the historic Dewdney Avenue streetscape in Regina’s Old Warehouse District. The five-story building was constructed during the pre-First World War period of optimism and rapid population expansion in Regina when the warehouse district symbolized the affluence and progress of a community. At the time of its construction, the Ackerman Building was the largest and most expensive warehouse constructed in Regina. The upper three floors were destroyed during the June 1912 tornado but quickly re-built.
Source:
City of Regina Bylaw No. 9219.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
The heritage value of 2128/2132 Dewdney Avenue lies in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements which reflect the Chicago School architectural style, such as regular window arrangement, large front window area compared to wall area, vertical emphasis with an underlying classical composition, and the building’s layout and massing;
-those elements which define the front window openings, such as decorative spandrel panels and recessed brickwork;
-those decorative Tyndall Stone elements which define the front entrance, such as the carved building sign, keystone, and ornamental scrolls;
-those elements which speak to its use as a warehouse, such as painted signage of former cartage and storage companies applied to the east and west faces of the building, and exterior loading doors on the east side;
-those elements which contribute to defining the character of the historic warehouse district, such as the building’s height and prominent location along Dewdney Avenue.
RECOGNITION:
JURISDICTION
Saskatchewan
RECOGNITION AUTHORITY
Local Governments (SK)
RECOGNITION STATUTE
Heritage Property Act, s. 11(1)(a)
RECOGNITION TYPE
Municipal Heritage Property
RECOGNITION DATE
1991/09/09
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
SIGNIFICANT DATE(S)
1912/01/01 to 1912/12/31
THEME - CATEGORY AND TYPE
Developing Economies
Trade and Commerce
FUNCTION - CATEGORY AND TYPE
CURRENT
Residence
Multiple Dwelling
HISTORIC
ARCHITECT / DESIGNER
Storey and Van Egmond
BUILDER
Parsons Construction Ltd.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
LOCATION OF SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Department of Culture, Youth and Recreation Heritage Resources Branch 1919 Saskatchewan Drive, Regina File: MHP 1415
CROSS-REFERENCE TO COLLECTION
FED/PROV/TERR IDENTIFIER
MHP 1415
STATUS
Published
RELATED PLACES
n/a"