Marr Residence and Montgomery Place - National Historic Sites
In July 2016, the Government of Canada announced the designation of 13 new nationally significant persons, places, and events that helped define Canada’s history. Saskatoon’s Montgomery Place and Marr Residence are among those designated.
The Marr Residence received its national historic designation under the category of Developing Economies. Constructed in 1884, the Marr Residence is the second oldest building in Saskatoon. It is also part of the history of the Temperance Colonization Society, which established the first major European settlement in the area, facilitated by cooperation with the resident First Nations population. The Marr Residence is the only survivor of three houses that were part of a field hospital established during the North-West Rebellion of 1885.
Montgomery Place received its national historic designation under the category of Military History. Saskatoon’s Montgomery Place neighbourhood was developed following World War II as part the Veterans’ Land Act (Act) of 1942, which provided most veterans, ex-servicemen and women, and those with disabilities with a wide range of benefits later extended to veterans of the Korean War. The Act’s main goal was to provide veterans with the means to become financially independent after their return to civilian life, and it included assistance to build their own homes.
Montgomery Place was built in 1946, on 230 acres of rural land previously in the Rural Municipality of Cory. The neighbourhood featured small homes on generous, half-acre (minimum) lots, where veterans were expected to plant gardens to supplement their incomes.
2016 marks the neighbourhood’s 70th anniversary. To celebrate, the Montgomery Place Community Association is hosting a “Back to the 1940s!” event on Saturday, September 17, 2016. For event details, visit montgomeryplace.ca.
Other National Historic Sites in the Saskatoon area include the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo, the Next-of-Kin Memorial Avenue, and Wanuskewin Heritage Park.
For more information on heritage properties and programs, visit saskatoon.ca/heritage.