Description of Historic Place

Macrorie School is a Municipal Heritage Property located on one municipal block in the Village of Macrorie. The property features a two-storey, brick building completed in 1917, with two later additions.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of Macrorie School resides in its long-standing role as an educational facility and community gathering place. Completed in 1917, its main function was as a school, but it also served the community for other purposes, including as a field hospital during the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic. Over the years, numerous community gatherings were held in the building and on or near the school grounds, including school fairs, Christmas concerts, field days, church services in the upper classroom, and parades, for which the extended community assembled. As the community expanded and education needs increased, the curriculum was expanded to provide instruction to the Grade XII level. By mid-century, when most school districts were being amalgamated and many schools closed, Macrorie School remained open and became the central school to which students from neighbouring areas were bussed. It remained in operation until 1988, when, after 71 years as an educational facility, the school closed.

Heritage value also lies in the building's architecture, which is representative of elementary schools constructed in many towns and villages in Saskatchewan in the early twentieth century. Designed to impart a sense of authority, these two-storey structures also met the functional needs of optimistic or rapidly growing communities; they were specifically designed to be easily adapted, should student enrolment increase. By locating the main entrance, hallway, and stairway at one end of the building, an easily-constructed side addition could be attached. A side addition would position the towered entranceway at the centre of two symmetrical wings. The Macrorie school board took advantage of this functionality and constructed two additions. The first addition, completed in 1927, extended the rear of the building and provided two more classrooms. Though less ornate, it emulated the front façade, evident in the symmetrical layout of the windows and the placement of the back door. The second addition, completed in 1960, reflects the original functional design of the building, but also illustrates the design of post-war school buildings. One storey and less ornate, this addition was constructed with both brick and wood siding.

Macrorie School continues to be valued by the community and has been preserved as a reminder of the town's past. Used by various groups for meetings, activities, socializing, and events, it remains a functional part of the community and its role as a community gathering place continues.

Source:

Town of Macrorie Bylaw No. 1-2000.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of Macrorie School resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those features that speak to the sense of authority inherent in early twentieth-century school architecture, such as its spatial design and layout, its brick façade, the symmetrical windows, the towered entranceway, broken-base pediment, and rounded-arch doorway;
-those features that reflect the Village of Macrorie's post-war school architecture, including its one-storey layout, its low gable roof, the horizontally-placed windows, and the brick façade and wood siding;
-those features that reflect its use as a school, including the signage above the door and flagpole;
-its location on the original school grounds, which encompasses a well-maintained grassed lot with trees and shrubs.