Description of Historic Place

The Warman Senior Drop-In Centre is a Municipal Heritage Property located on a single lot in the town of Warman. The designation applies to a one-and-a-half storey, stucco-clad, wood-frame train station built between 1905 and 1907.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Warman Senior Drop-In Centre lies in its association with the development of the railway and the establishment of Warman. The community, located approximately 25 kilometres north of Saskatoon, exists due to its strategic location at the intersection of the north-south Canadian Pacific Railway and the east-west Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) line established in 1904 (which became part of Canadian National Railway (CNR) after 1919). The station was used by CNR until 1942 when it was moved from its original location near the intersection of the two rail lines.

The heritage value of the building also lies in its architecture. The building is an example of CNoR’s standard plan for a third class railway station. When the CNoR developed its rail transportation network across Canada at the turn of the century it developed a set of architectural plans for first, second and third class stations. Third class stations were very common throughout the prairies, acting as both freight depots and passenger stations. The upper half-storey of the building was designed specifically as a living space for the station agents and their families. This station is slightly different from most third class stations since a major addition to the storage section was built shortly after the structure was constructed.

The heritage significance of the Warman Senior Drop-In Centre also lies in the building’s adaptive re-use as a community centre. Since the station was closed in the 1980s, the community of Warman moved the building to its current location, renovated the interior and restored the exterior so that it could be used as a senior citizens' drop-in centre.

Source:

Town of Warman Bylaw No. 2004-10.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Warman Senior Drop-In Centre resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those architectural elements that reflect the CNoR’s standard architectural plan for a third class railway station, such as the gently bell-cast gabled roof; large overhanging eave supported by brackets, window and door openings, freight doors and stucco exterior;
-those elements modified for the building’s adaptive re-use as a drop-in centre, such as the open-spaced interior, installation of a kitchen on the main level and signage at the front of the building.