It's one of Humboldt's historic treasures, and one of Canada's, too.
Now, the Humboldt and District Museum and Gallery's building - the historic Post Office - is being designated as one of Saskatchewan's 50 Provincial Heritage Properties.
The designation will be made official at a ceremony planned for 1:30 p.m. on September 20.
Any building designated this way is eligible for funding from the Saskatchewan Heritage Foundation, explained HDMG director Jennifer Hoesgen.
But the designation, she explained, "is more of a recognition of the importance of this building in the provincial context."
And it will allow them to better care for the building as it ages, as a designation of this kind allows the HDMG to consult with the provincial heritage architect about how to conserve a building of this size.
"For me, that's a big deal," Hoesgen said. "It's really very hard to know.... Everything from the mortar to the brick is different. We need to understand the make of the building when it was built to understand how to proceed with it."
With the provincial designation official, the HDMG building will be a municipal, provincial and national heritage site.
Why is this building historically significant?
"The Humboldt Post Office building symbolizes the federal government's presence in the development of Saskatchewan," Hoesgen wrote in her application for the designation. "In designating the building as a National Historic Site in 1977, the following was noted as its historical significance, as found on the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque: 'Constructed in 1911, this building is typical of the post offices that were erected by the Department of Public Works in smaller urban centres throughout Canada at the beginning of the 20th century. The quality of the design, with its Romanesque windows and large clock tower in the same style, made this an important building in a newly-developing small town, and represented the extension of federal services across the West.'"
The building, Hoesgen added, has also developed into a representative example of Saskatchewan's community pride.
"Citizens have contributed a monumental amount of time and resources into the building's care and conservation as a home of the community museum," she wrote. "Aside from its current function as a museum, archives, sports hall of fame and gallery space, the building also provides a venue for community events, art exhibits, public reception and cultural events. Its location in the heart of the downtown core signifies its prominence in community life."
The design of the building, in the Romanesque Revival style, also makes it architecturally significant, and its exterior has remained relatively unchanged since its construction.
Minister Kevin Doherty of Parks, Culture and Sport will be at the designation ceremony to unveil the official plaque on the building, as will Humboldt MLA Donna Harpauer.
The event will also be marking the 30th anniversary of the HDMG, Hoesgen noted, and as part of the celebration, there will be pioneer demonstrations.
For example, the St. Elizabeth's Community Garden group will be making jam and apple butter in the Seniors Hall in the morning, and the HDMG will be baking bread in their clay oven in the afternoon.
They will also be demonstrating butter and ice-cream making after the designation ceremony, with the help of the Humboldt Seniors, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Humboldt and the Humboldt Newcomer Centre.
Sixth Ave. in front of the museum will be closed to traffic for the day to allow these activities to occur. Over the noon hour, the Humboldt TaeKwon-Do Club and the Humboldt Broncos will be doing a barbecue, and local Olympic athletes Brianne Theisen and Lyndon Rush will be stopping by to sign autographs.
