The beautiful building was opened December 20, 1911, by Lieutenant Governor Brown and Dr. Murray first President of the University of Saskatchewan. Too many buildings lack the names of architects and their history. In this case, we know that the design above was by Architect Walter William LaChance of Saskatoon. LaChance was born in Brockville, Ontario. His work took him to Ohio, Virginia and Georgia where he was the architect for several prison buildings. In 1897, he moved to Hamilton, Ontario, then to Regina in 1905 and later that same year he moved to Saskatoon. LaChance’s years in Saskatoon were particularly prosperous for him, as the province was in the midst of an economic boom. He was architect for the Flanagan House Hotel, later renamed the Senator Hotel, the Saskatoon City Hospital on Queen Street & Seventh Avenue, the Bowerman Block, the Bowerman House, and the Chubb Block among several other buildings. Later, he moved back to Ontario. He died in 1951 and is interred in Welland. The new Yorkton Regional High School was opened November 10, 1967.
