Description of Historic Place

The Assiniboia Court House is a Provincial Heritage Property consisting of approximately one-half hectare of land at 700 Centre Street in Assiniboia. The designation applies to a two-storey brick building completed in 1930.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Assiniboia Court House lies in its architecture. The building is one of a series of court houses designed by the office of the provincial architect, a government department responsible for the design and/or supervision of all public buildings from 1905 until the office was discontinued in the early 1930's amidst the depression. Architect and engineer Maurice Sharon held the position between 1916 and 1930 and is credited with the design of ten Provincial court houses. Several towns and cities were identified as judicial centres with those at Yorkton, Kerrobert, Prince Albert, Weyburn and Estevan receiving buildings of substantial size, while those at Gravelbourg, Shaunavon, Wynyard, Melfort and Assiniboia received more modest buildings that share an identical prototypical design. While Sharon’s first courthouse at Yorkton exhibited an elaborate Beaux-Arts style, similar to other government buildings constructed to that time, he embraced a Colonial Revival style for the remaining nine buildings. These buildings featured pitched roofs, rain gutters integrated with projecting metal cornices, central cupolas with attic ventilation, and brick cladding trimmed with stone. The incorporation of these design elements enabled the government to reduce construction costs and solve technical problems of roof drainage while retaining the appropriate sense of grandeur and presence symbolic of a judicial building.

The Assiniboia Court House is the last building in the series of smaller, prototypical designs to be constructed and did not receive a cupola element as the central feature of the roof. It is clad entirely in brick from Estevan, and trimmed with small amounts of Tyndall Stone. The entrance is framed by Doric columns topped with a small cornice and railing, and the windows form a regular pattern on the brick façade, evoking a Georgian Classical influence. The court house is prominently situated on landscaped grounds at the south end of Assiniboia, closing the vista of Main Street and constitutes a major landmark in the community.

Sources:

Province of Saskatchewan, Notice of Intention to Designate as Provincial Heritage Property under The Heritage Property Act, September 24, 1987.

Province of Saskatchewan, Order to Designate as Provincial Heritage Property under The Heritage Property Act,, February 15, 1988.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Assiniboia Court House resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those architectural elements that reflect the Colonial Revival style of architecture, such as the building's symmetry, sloped roof, metal cornice with integral rain gutters and entrance trim;
-those architectural elements specific to Saskatchewan court houses designed by Maurice Sharon that speak to the Assiniboia Court House's design as part of a series of prototypical buildings, such as the hip roof and overall simplicity of the roofline;
-those elements associated with the court house's prominence in the community, such as its location at the south end of Assiniboia’s main street and the surrounding landscaped grounds;
-those detailed elements that signify the importance of the courthouse as an institutional landmark, such as the brass-clad front doors.