How best to preserve the history of the old Saskatchewan Hospital site continues to be a top priority for members of the Battlefords North West Historical Society.
At an open house Aug. 29 at the Tropical Inn on the future of Saskatchewan Hospital, members of the historical society outlined their vision for the future of the site. It includes preserving as much of the façade as possible of the existing building, and establishing walking trails to document the history of the hospital and of mental health care at the location.
Jane Shury, a longtime society member and also chair of the Save Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford Committee, was among those at the open house exhibiting their vision for the future of the site.
“What we would like to do is keep the façade of the building, if that’s possible,” said Shury.
In addition, the plan is to “have walking trails around the grounds with cairns indicating certain buildings and certain things about the hospital grounds and the different departments … so there is something to keep of value in regards to history, not just of the building but of the care and treatment of the mentally ill over the past 105 years.”
The idea is to highlight the advances in treatment and care of patients over that period of time, resulting in the new hospital and new treatments today.
“They agree, as we do, that that’s something that should be considered,” said Shury.
Maintaining as much of the hospital’s heritage as possible is a priority for heritage society members. Top of mind for the organization is what happened to the former Government House in Battleford, a historical site that burned to the ground.
Unfortunately, their biggest challenge is the state of the current hospital building. The 107-year-old building is not up to modern-day building codes, has asbestos problems and its heating and cooling system is in bad shape. Even the smokestack is falling apart from the inside out.
The province has indicated that demolition is the likely outcome if there is no bid for the property. Even if a buyer is found, the building would require major redevelopment and renovation.
The historical society has acknowledged that even keeping a portion of the building as a façade would have costs associated with it.
At this point the proposal from the Heritage Society is to at least preserve, as a façade, the entrance area to the hospital.
It’s believed there will not be a huge cost to maintaining that portion of the building in future years. But Shury has indicated they would like to see even more of the building preserved, if possible.
“If part of the building is kept, which part? How much, keeping in mind that it is three stories high?” said Shury.
The costs associated with keeping certain portions of the building, and maintaining them, are still to be determined.
From the society’s perspective, the project they have suggested for the site — the façade and walking trails — will not cost a large amount of money in terms of maintenance.
The thinking is that local organizations and businesses could be approached to get involved with maintaining the walking trails as well as the gardens at the site, which the historical society also wants to preserve.
Shury adds the society is also open to suggestions as to what else should be included in their proposal to the province. Anyone with suggestions or who wish to get involved as volunteers can contact Shury, Gil Bellavance or Debi Anderson of the Battlefords North West Historical Society.
Discussions with the province are still at the preliminary stage, but a consensus seems to have already emerged about certain aspects of the site that need to be preserved.
One building likely to stay in any event is the chapel.
“Everyone would agree we have to keep that chapel,” said Shury.
Shury also confirms the cenotaph at the hospital would “definitely” stay. She notes several trees at the cenotaph area are dedicated to Saskatchewan Hospital employees who died during the war.
“No, we can’t take that down. Never,” said Shury.
However, all of this assumes that a potential buyer does not come along looking to tear down and redevelop the entire property.
The indication from the province is they plan to send out a request for proposals from those interested in buying or developing the Saskatchewan Hospital site in the next six to eight months. That RFP process is expected to be a lengthy one when it happens.
If no bidders come forward, then the province would consider its options.
Shury has indicated the historical society is willing to work with any potential buyers that might come forward. She was optimistic that acknowledging the heritage of the old hospital will be something any potential developer will be mindful of for the site.
“But ... there certainly are people and businesses … that it’s not the history they care about, it’s more or less the bottom line, the money,” said Shury.
“It would certainly depend on who it was that purchased the land and what their objective is for that land. Hopefully, we would be able to convince them, if that happens.”
