Description of Historic Place

The Fred Light Museum is a Municipal Heritage Property located on a 9631-square metre civic lot in the Town of Battleford. Constructed in 1911, the property features a 2½-storey, stucco-clad building that reflects a modified Second Empire architectural style.

Heritage Value

The Fred Light Museum is valued for its association with the early development of the Town of Battleford. Originally named the St. Vital Public Catholic School, the school was established in 1887 and operated out of a smaller brick building on the same parcel of land. By 1911, the growing community required significantly more educational space and the current, larger structure was completed. It was located just behind the original brick building. Constructed of brick manufactured in Battleford, it was originally a four-room school with an auditorium on the third floor and two rooms in the basement. At some point in the late 1970s, the brick was covered with stucco.

Heritage value also lies in the building's modified Second Empire architectural style. Though the Second Empire style had fallen out of fashion by the 1890s, it continued to be used by the Roman Catholic church for its convents and schools, as demonstrated at Battleford. The school's symmetrical massing, evenly-spaced windows, mansard roof, dormer windows, and prominent pavilion speak to the Second Empire design, while its religious ornamentation reflects its use as a Catholic school. Used as St. Vital Catholic Public School until 1974, it is now known as the Fred Light Museum, which holds artifacts related to the early history of the area and the first years of the North-West Mounted Police.

Located on a parcel of land overlooking rolling prairie and the North Saskatchewan River, the building is surrounded by landscaped green space.

Source:

Town of Battleford Bylaw No. 3/82.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Fred Light Museum resides in the following character-defining elements:
-elements that reflect the Second Empire architectural style, including its symmetrical massing, window arrangement and design, mansard roof, dormer windows, and prominent pavilion;
-features that express its use as a Catholic school, such as the cross atop the pavilion and original stone signage above the entryway;
-its location overlooking the North Saskatchewan River.