Warehouse District

Initially, Lieutenant-Governor Edgar Dewdney, who selected Regina as the capital of the North West Territories , wanted the business district to be located near what is now the west-end of Regina . This was primarily because he owned land out near the current location of the RCMP Depot and Government House. However, the CPR had a different plan, and they located their central station near what is now Regina 's downtown, at the site where Casino Regina now stands. The business district began to form near the railroad station, and for years the area that is now downtown Regina was the heart of the business district.

However, in the early part of the twentieth century a change began to occur to Regina 's business community. Faced with a lack of space in the desirable downtown district, many businesses began to expand their operations north of the railroad tracks. This area became known as the 'warehouse district' as more and more retailers began to open wholesale spaces on the other side of the tracks.

The northerly location had several advantages. It was close to the railroad - indeed, many warehouses boasted their own set of spur tracks for ease of drayage. It was close enough to the downtown area to supply the downtown retail locations that many business owners operated but not so close that the bulky warehouses were driving down property values in the heart of the city. The warehouse district was also located close to the city's power house, located at Broad Street and Dewdney Avenue . The giant sprawling warehouse buildings that were constructed took up much more real estate than the crowded and desirable downtown area had to offer anyway.

  Title: Warehouse district and railyards
Date: ca. 1903
Retrieval Number:
CORA-B-571
  Title: Dewdney Avenue looking east
Date: ca. 1911
Retrieval Number: CORA-H-12
  Title: Looking north towards warehouse district
Date: ca. 1912
Retrieval Number:
CORA-B-601
  Title: Looking east down Dewdney Avenue
Date: ca. 1912
Retrieval Number:
CORA-B-738
  Title: North side of Dewdney Ave. looking East from Hamilton St .
Date: ca. 1912
Retrieval Number:
CORA-RPL-B-214
  Title: Old Warehouse District
Date: ca. 1913
Retrieval Number:
CORA-B-551
  Title: Panoramic view of warehouse district
Date: ca. 1915
Retrieval Number: CORA-H-21
  Title: Wholesale District, Dewdney St. , Regina , Sask.
Date: ca. 1915
Retrieval Number: CORA-RPL-A-109
  Title: The Robert Simpson Co. Western Mail Order House Regina
Date: ca. 1925
Retrieval Number: CORA-A-1223

 

 

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