Description of Historic Place

The Leader Building is a Municipal Heritage Property comprised of two and half city lots in Regina's downtown area. The property features a 6 storey, terra-cotta faced office building constructed in 1912.

Heritage Value

The Leader Building commemorates the development of media communications in Regina. Purpose built for the Leader Publishing Company, the building was the office and publishing facility for Regina's largest daily newspaper, The Leader-Post, as well as other newspaper and book publications for over fifty years. Also, from 1922 to 1964, the building was home to CKCK radio, Saskatchewan's first commercial radio station. As a media production centre, the building was a recognized landmark in the community and gathering place for media events.

The building exemplifies the unbounded optimism of Regina's post 1900 building boom which expanded the historic downtown core. The tallest and most expensive office building in the city at the time of its completion in 1912, the Leader Building was one of Regina's most prestigious office locations. Built of brick, reinforced concrete and steel, the building is an excellent example of an office complex built in the Chicago School style. The white terra-cotta façade, decorated with ornate carvings and geometric shapes, enhanced the prominence of the structure.


Source:

City of Regina Bylaw 8384-HR-B87

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Leader Building resides in the following character-defining elements:

- The ornate terra-cotta façade
- Those elements which reflect the Chicago School style of architecture including the regular pattern of rectangular windows, projecting piers and pilasters and dominant cornice.
- Those elements which reflect the prestigious nature of the original office building, including the tile floor on the ground floor, fixtures and ceilings
- Those elements which relate the building's role as a media facility, including signage, equipment and fixtures