History of the Warehouse District
Regina’s Warehouse District has a rich and diverse history. Today’s Warehouse District is a mixture of old and new, past and present. Many historical warehouses, built in the early 1900s, still dot the landscape, standing as magnificent reminders of what the district once was and what it can be again.
The original town plan of Regina was designed by the Canadian Pacific Railway surveyors to meet the needs of the railroad in accessing new markets in Western Canada. The first train came through the soon-to-be capital city on August 23, 1882.
Regina’s formation was influenced by an economic and settlement boom. Between 1906 and 1913, the population rapidly increased from 6 000 to 30 000. A profitable agriculture sector offered prosperous opportunities for many. As the city grew with the population, so did the service industry. It developed centrally, within a one-mile radius of Union Station (Casino Regina today). To the south of the rail yards, the public face of the city emerged in the now Downtown. To the north, another, more industrious site emerged in the Warehouse District.
Regina’s Warehouse District (then known as the Wholesale District) grew as a multi-purpose settlement. A mixture of offices, warehouses and spur rail lines defined the area as a central distribution and warehousing center. Many lucrative businesses, such as John Deere Plow Co., Sears Mail Order, General Motors, and Army and Navy, built significant warehouses in the area. Spur rail lines ran between these buildings, easing access to the main rail line. By 1924, there were 22 rail lines radiating from Regina with up to 50 arrivals and departures per day.
Regina’s Warehouse District was a flurry of activity in those early days. Warehouses were not the only buildings in the neighbourhood as family homes, grocery stores, pharmacies, shops, restaurants and even a school lined the streets. The original home of the Roughriders was in the Dominion Park Stadium from 1909 to 1917 before eventually becoming the now Sears Outlet Center.
Although it is barely evident today, the Warehouse District once had numerous family homes. Some houses were simple single floor dwellings while others were larger with two and a half floors. Behind them there would have been sheds, stables and outhouses. Most families grew their own food in vegetable gardens and raised livestock for food.
As much as the economic boom of the early twentieth century define the Warehouse District so too did later world events. World Wars I and II slowed industry down and shifted production. During WWI, women worked in the warehouses, keeping the economy going. During WWII, the Warehouse District became involved in war production. The General Motors plant was converted to the manufacturing of munitions in 1939. The Great Depression of the 1930s lead to a major hit in agricultural production. Money was scarce due to the lack of employment as many workers lost their jobs at the rail yards and the warehouses.
Regina’s Warehouse District has seen many changes over its life span. In 1998, a Business Improvement District was formed to promote the development of a vibrant and attractive Warehouse District. In 2003, Regina City Council passed a bylaw forming Regina’s Warehouse District Business Improvement District
The Warehouse District continues to change and prosper as historical warehouses become entertainment, commercial and retail spaces and condo conversions. The history of the area is rich and diverse. Come explore where Regina began and see how the past has become our future.
