City council has acknowledged the winners of the 2022 Moose Jaw Municipal Heritage Awards program and commended them for their work conserving the heritage value of their properties.
Mayor Clive Tolley and Coun. Crystal Froese presented the recipients with their awards during the March 13 meeting. The heritage advisory committee collected the nominations of citizens and heritage properties and voted on the award nominees.
“We’re happy to present our heritage awards today,” Froese said.
This year’s award winners are:
- “The Ten Commandments Block” of homes on the east side of the 1000 block of Connaught Avenue for collection of distinction (a new category)
- Rene and Rosalie Marcil at 24 Main Street North (MAD 24 Restaurant, formerly National Café) for stewardship
- Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Moose Jaw campus building at 600 Saskatchewan Street for stewardship
- The Catholic Women’s League at St. Joseph’s Parish for advocacy/heritage education
- Brent Boechler at 44 Fairford Street West (Gold Key Investments Inc.) for restoration
The Ten Commandments Block was built in the 1930s and received its moniker because 10 homes are identical single-family dwellings, a council report explained. All homes have the same floor plan and have provided affordable housing for decades.
Homeowners have put their mark on each house over the years through renovations and remodelling, but all 10 units retain a similar front façade.
When the Marcils closed the National Café several years ago, an out-of-province antique dealer inquired about purchasing the sign, but they declined since they thought it belonged in Moose Jaw, the report said. They plan to keep the sign even though they cannot find the parts to have it working again.
The couple is committed to maintaining the business’ heritage aspect since the sign adds to the downtown’s unique look.
In 1959 the Saskatchewan Technical Institute acquired possession of the former teacher’s college in Moose Jaw. Then on Sept. 5, 1959, the institute opened the building with 26 employees and 526 students enrolled in technology, industrial, apprenticeship, unemployed training and upgrading programs, the report continued.
While the organization has changed its name and expanded its mandate over the decades, the building and its services have remained a constant presence.
Last year marked the centennial of St. Joseph’s Catholic Women’s League (CWL), and to celebrate its past, the group hosted a tea on June 11, 2022, featuring over 80 items that included wedding dresses, first communion gowns, baptismal gowns — including one from Mae Wilson — and other items dating back to 1895, the report said.
The league also hosted a fashion show of wedding gowns from every decade dating back to 1935, with an accompanying slide show that gave a brief history of the gowns, the church and how weddings have changed since the 1920s. All the brides connected to the gowns were married in the Moose Jaw area or had ties to the community.
The former Moose Jaw Times-Herald building was built in 1953, and 69 years later, businessman Boechler purchased the building and constructed a new marquis sign that resembles the original one, the council report said.
While the interior has undergone extensive renovations, the engineering of a new entrance on the east side — which affected the decades-old mural — has left the façade untouched, ensuring the building’s heritage value remains.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, March 27.
