Alexander Residence

Description of the Historic Place

The Alexander Residence features a one-and-a-half storey house constructed in 1912 in the neighbourhood of City Park. The home faces the riverbank of the South Saskatchewan River and is designed in the Craftsman style.

This historic place, located at 1020 Spadina Crescent East, was designated as a Municipal Heritage Property in 2001. The designation is limited to the north, east and south facades, and the roof of the house.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Alexander Residence lies in its Craftsman architectural design, a style that was dominant for smaller homes between 1905 and 1920. The Arts and Crafts movement stressed simple forms, quality craftsmanship, and integration with the surrounding landscape. Rustic natural materials of the Alexander Residence include the “Boston Weave” design of the cedar shingles on its low-pitched gable roof and sheltering eaves, and the fieldstone of its attractive front façade with matching chimney. Its key structural elements include an octagonal room with a pyramidal roof, a front-facing dormer complementing the general roof shape, windows with muntins and stone sills, and a central entrance of brick steps leading to wide double doors flanked by recessed wooden pilasters.  Inside, a large stone fireplace and oak box-beamed ceilings complement multi-paned windows and the original woodwork. Low and compact, the Alexander Residence presents a cozy, retreat-like ambience, the structure being in organic unity with the front yard landscape design and the riverbank setting.

The heritage value of the Alexander Residence also lies in its deep association with Saskatoon’s history. The lot was originally owned by the Wilson Brothers, early pioneer ranchers and livery owners who were involved in the Riel Resistance of 1885. Built during Saskatoon’s pre-World War I building boom, the house was constructed for settler Henry Bruce of the H.A. Bruce Realty Co. However, the house is named for its second owners, Dr. Harold E. and Edith Alexander, who owned the house from 1916 to 1946. Dr. Alexander was head of the Surgery Department at St. Paul’s Hospital, and was a prize breeder of Shorthorn cattle and Belgian horses at his farm, Riverview, north of Saskatoon. His wife was active in many social service organizations, including the Red Cross, the Victorian Order of Nurses and the Children’s Shelter.

Source: City of Saskatoon Bylaw No.8056 / City of Saskatoon Built Heritage Database / Canadian Register of Historic Places

Character Defining Elements

Key elements which contribute to the heritage value of this historic resource include:

• Its Craftsman style of architecture, evident in: the materials, shape and slope of its gabled roof, its eaves, its octagonal room with pyramidal roof, the shape and size of its central dormer including its curved verge board and scrolled pediment, the stonework of its chimney and front façade, the size and placement of its fenestrations and front entrance, and its brick steps;
• Those elements of the property that speak to its contribution to the streetscape in the City Park area including its location in relation to other houses of the same period on Spadina Crescent and to the riverbank; and
• Those elements that reflect its landmark status as one of Saskatoon’s oldest residences from the period of pre-World War I construction, including its location on its original site; the stone used in its front façade and chimney; and the granite pilasters of its octagonal room.