The Building
With the creation of the Province of Saskatchewan from the districts of the North-West Territories in 1905, Premier Walter Scott felt the new province needed a legislative building in the capital of Regina to reflect his vision of a glorious future for the new land.
In the spring of 1906, Deputy Premier and Minister of Education, James Alexander Calder was tasked with finding a site. A number of locations were considered but Calder recommended the purchase of the “Old Sinton Property” from the McCallum Hill Company. The land was located on the south side of Wascana Creek and was about to be sold as building lots for homes.
The property was 168 acres, so the next step was to identify a specific site and plan for the proposed building and the layout of the surrounding park. Percy Nobbs, professor of Architecture at McGill University was chosen to head the committee that would assess the submissions. The building requirements and total project cost were defined and a limited competition took place between invited bidders.
Brothers Edward and W. S. Maxwell of Montreal were the successful bidders. With the plans completed, the project went to tender on May 23, 1908. The Montreal firm of P. Lyall and Sons was awarded the contract and work began. The project proceeded with a few hiccups and some alterations to the plan, such as replacing the proposed red brick facing with Tyndall stone, until completion and the official opening in 1912.
During the construction, Deputy Minister of Public Works, F. J. Robinson was tasked with organizing one of the first public ceremonies of the fledgling province – the laying of the building’s cornerstone and its time capsule.
Map B-620.12 – Plan showing location of Legislative Building, Power House and grounds.
Map R-195 – Plan showing proposed location for Legislative Building and plan for the surrounding park.
R-B9442 – Boaters on Wascana Lake with the Legislative Building under construction in the background.
R-B3147 (1) – Crane lowering a stone into place during construction of the Legislative Building. Looking south-west towards undeveloped land.
R-B3149 (2) – Mason chiseling stone on the Legislative Building construction site.
R-B3149 (3) – Dome of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building under construction.
Leader_0001 – Principals of Peter Lyall and Sons, winning bidders on the construction of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building. Regina Morning Leader, October 4, 1909
Leader_0002 – Having sold the Saskatchewan Government the land for the new Legislative Building, McCallum, Hill and Co. advertises building lots on the surrounding land - Lakeview. Regina Morning Leader, October 4, 1909
