On a crisp November day in 1953, the wrecking crews moved in on a piece of Saskatoon's early history. The old Storr property, a familiar sight at the northwest corner of Broadway Avenue and Main Street, was being prepared for demolition, marking the end of an era for the city's original core.
The End of a Broadway Era
The demolition on November 20, 1953, signalled the vanishing of another landmark from Saskatoon's early inhabited area. While the city had already expanded north of the river by the time this structure was built, its origins hearkened back to a simpler time. Its roof first saw the sunlight when hitching rings for horses served as the only parking meters on Broadway, and the air was filled with the distinctive ring of a blacksmith's hammer shaping hot metal on an anvil.
From Blacksmith Shop to Storage
The building's story was deeply intertwined with John Storr, a blacksmith who arrived in Saskatoon from Prince Albert in 1908. In 1913, Storr purchased the property and took over the building, which had briefly been an implement warehouse for Lock and Tracy. The structure was eventually moved a couple of lots south from its prime corner location, and a larger building was constructed on the original site, serving as an annex to his blacksmith shop.
As the city modernized, the hitching rings became antiquities, and Storr adapted his business. He shifted his focus from shoeing horses to manufacturing the ornamental railings that were in high demand for the new-style houses being built. He eventually relocated his workshop to a lane off Main Street, leaving the old building for storage.
Mysteries and New Beginnings
Before its demolition, a rumor circulated that the building had once been used as a theatre. However, John Storr himself did not recollect this use. It's possible the informant was confusing it with a small movie house that had operated in the neighborhood, but not on that specific site.
The fate of the property was sealed when it was purchased by Winnipeg agents representing a large business firm. Contemporary rumors suggested the site was destined to become a new bakery, pointing toward the ongoing evolution of the Broadway and Main Street intersection.
The image of the demolition, captured on November 20, 1953, and now part of the City of Saskatoon Archives, serves as a poignant reminder of the city's ever-changing urban landscape and the layers of history hidden beneath its modern facade.
