Friday, May 17, 2024 
Friday, May 17, 2024
October 21, 2019
As reported on CTV News, the legacy of two downtown buildings is on track towards a new chapter in their history.
“Our mayor referred to it as a hidden gem in the city and we’ve done what we can to make sure that these buildings are going to stand for a lot longer,” said property developer Gayle MacDonald, who owns 301 First Avenue North and its neighboring giant, the Tees & Persse building.
Both locations have served as a home for various businesses. The 301 block built in the 1920s was formerly Sliders Nightclub and then the youth outreach center Egadz. Tees & Persse, the 1911 Chicago style manufacturing plant, was most recently occupied by an artist studio. MacDonald said the construction crew found a surprising discovery while continuing work in Tees & Persse.
“We had to remove some of the timbers and one of the fellows that was working counted the annual rings in one of the timbers that was squared off and there was over 150 annual rings in one of the timbers meaning that, that wood is from the 1700s,” said MacDonald.
MacDonald said she would like to see the 301 building offer a restaurant, roughly 8,000 square feet with a patio outside. Upstairs, there is potential for a doctor’s practice or tech office on the second floor. Next door they are in the preliminary stage of offering both office space and commercial condos on each floor. MacDonald’s work force said the older the building requires a greater learning curve on the job.
“Well I think getting in to these older buildings you find all kinds of things you’ve never seen before being 100-year-old buildings,” said site superintendent Aaron Flanigan. “With 100-year-old buildings bring 100-year-old challenges.”
“100 years ago they didn’t have the technology we do now,” said foreman Brad Lavertu. “We had the building supported by temporary shoring while we redid the footings in the basement. I think that was the craziest thing.”
MacDonald said her team is motivated to preserve the original look of each building and said the combination of the building’s heritage, heating and cooling system and Wi-Fi connectivity make it an attractive feature. MacDonald said right now is a good time to be a buyer in the market based on lots of inventory throughout Saskatoon.
