Eaton's Building, Saskatoon

The Eaton's Building in Saskatoon is a striking historic landmark located at the corner of 3rd Avenue and 21st Street in the city’s Central Business District. Originally constructed as a department store for the Eaton’s chain, the building now serves as the headquarters of the Saskatoon Board of Education.

Plans for the store were announced in 1927, with the initial vision calling for an eight-story structure that would become the tallest in Saskatoon. Though only three stories were ultimately built, the architectural ambition remained intact. Designed in the Neo-Renaissance style by the Montreal firm Ross and Macdonald, along with local architect Frank Martin, the building features a grand façade of Tyndall stone and black marble, highlighted by fifteen tripled-arched Palladian windows.

When it opened on December 5, 1928, the Eaton's store offered more than just shopping-it delivered a refined urban experience. Inside, shoppers found elegant terrazzo floors, bronze fixtures, a children’s toyland complete with a mechanical lion, an art gallery, a Mediterranean-style dining room, and an 80-foot marble counter in the meat department.

Eaton’s moved to Midtown Plaza in 1970, and the building briefly served as athlete housing during the 1971 Canada Winter Games. From 1973 to 2000, it housed an Army & Navy discount store, known for its nautical-themed cafeteria. During the mid-1980s, the site was connected to a neighboring shopping complex and parkade.

Today, thanks to a careful revitalization by the Saskatoon Board of Education, the Eaton’s Building retains much of its original character. Restoration efforts brought back the façade, terrazzo floors, brass window fixtures, and the original wooden and brass stair railings-preserving a treasured piece of Saskatoon’s architectural and commercial history.