“I may not have a practical mind, but it's very fixated on concrete things” - Alma Guillermoprieto

What do the finish on the house pictured below and the flowerbed (also pictured below) have in common?

The answer is: concrete, which also happens to be the answer to the quiz feature question from last week! Says Margaret Hryniuk, co-author of Legacy of Stone: Saskatchewan's Stone Buildings, when asked about the material, “[These are] rusticated concrete blocks, which are produced in a mould that is intended to make them look like stone and also, in the case of the decorative band on this building, to provide just that – decoration”. Frank Korvemaker, who also co-authored Legacy of Stone adds, “Similar attempts were made with sheet metal, to look like stone, brick and wood, all with the idea of no weathering and very low maintenance. For all intents and purposes, those objectives were achieved. Most concrete block structures show very little wear, even after a century”.

Rusticated concrete block - also referred to as rockfaced concrete and, to a lesser extent, sand bricks - were known for their rough-looking surface. The earliest examples of this type of construction can be found in the Renaissance architecture of the 1400s.

Rusticated concrete block construction was not uncommon in Saskatchewan at the turn of the century. The building in Lumsden was likely built around the same time as one on 1503 Victoria Avenue in Regina which is a municipal heritage property. A quick side note – part of the heritage value of the Regina property is due to its past owner, John Kenneth McInnis. J.K. moved to Regina in the early 1890s to become the editor and co-owner of the Regina Journal with Walter Scott, who later became the first Premier of Saskatchewan. City of Regina Bylaw No.7787-HR-B84 states that, “completed in 1908-09, the property features a first storey constructed of locally-made rusticated concrete blocks and a second storey of brick veneer construction. The voussoirs [wedge-shaped stone] above the arched window on the east facade are also of concrete and represent an unusual design element for Regina homes”.

The Regina property may have been constructed of locally manufactured brick but I was unable to determine the source of the rusticated concrete block used in the Lumsden building before this column went to press. I am working on it though, as there are rumours that there is a brick plant in this area’s history.