Varsity View, Saskatoon

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Varsity View
Albert Community Centre (Albert School)
Albert Community Centre (Albert School)
Varsity View location map
Varsity View location map
Coordinates: 52°7′27″N 106°38′29″W / 52.12417, -106.64139
Country Flag of Canada Canada
Province Flag of Saskatchewan Saskatchewan
City Saskatoon
Suburban Development Area Core Neighbourhoods
Neighbourhood Varsity View
Annexed 1911
Construction 1912-1960
Government
 - Type Municipal (Ward 6)
 - Administrative body Saskatoon City Council
 - Councillor Charlie Clark
Area
 - Total 1.27 km² (0.5 sq mi)
Population (2006)
 - Total 3,601
 - Average Income $86,020
Time zone UTC (UTC-6)
City of Saskatoon Neighborhoods
Website: Varsity View Community Association

Varsity View is a mostly residential neighbourhood located near the center of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is immediately south of the University of Saskatchewan campus. It is an older suburban subdivision, comprised of a mixture of low-density, single detached dwellings, detached duplexes and apartment-style units. As of 2006, the area is home to 3,601 residents. The neighbourhood is considered a middle to upper-income area, with an average family income of $86,020, an average dwelling value of $217,723 and a home ownership rate of 40.0%. Its proximity to the university gives this area its relatively high student population - almost 25% in 2005.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

Bottomley House (1912)
Bottomley House (1912)

Development was spurred by the establishment of the University of Saskatchewan in 1907. The land for the Varsity View neighbourhood was annexed by the city in 1911; it was among the first parcels of land annexed after Saskatoon's incorporation five years earlier.[2] The first homeowner was Richard Bottomley, an English real estate developer who was said to have invested $1.5 million in the real estate boom of 1912. His house, now referred to as Bottomley House, is a large, Queen Anne Revival style home. It was designated a municipal heritage property on April 24, 2006.[3]

In 1911, the school board purchased the block in which the Albert School would be constructed; it opened in 1912 at 610 Clarence Avenue South. It was designed in the Collegiate Gothic style by Scottish architect David Webster, who also designed several similar-looking schools (King George, King Edward, Buena Vista, Westmount, Caswell and Alexandra). Besides serving as an educational centre, Albert School played a big role in city sports, especially lacrosse and hockey. It was also used for other purposes, such as English classes for large numbers of Ukrainians in 1916.[4]

According to a 1913 map, the current neighbourhood encompasses a collection of registered subdivisons were originally named University Annex, Bottomley Addition, Varsity Park and College Park (which would be reused to designate another neighbourhood).[5] College Drive and Elliott Street were not substantially developed until the late 1920s, while neighbouring Osler Street had to wait for residential construction until the early 1950s.[6] The majority of the housing stock was built between 1946 and 1960.[1] The oldest homes are located at the neighbourhood's north and west ends, as development progressed from the university campus and Nutana's eastern edge. Two more schools, Brunskill and Bishop Murray, opened in the 1950s.

After more than seventy years, a drop in enrollments brought the closing of Albert School in 1978, after which it served as the centre for l'Ecole Francaise de Saskatoon. It became the Albert Community Centre in 1979, sparing it from the wrecking ball. It was officially designated a municipal heritage property on October 11, 1983.[4]

[edit] Government and politics

Varsity View exists within the federal electoral district of Saskatoon-Humboldt. It is currently represented by Brad Trost of the Conservative Party of Canada, first elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2006.

Provincially, Varsity View overlaps three separate constituencies:

  • Saskatoon Sutherland - North of 14th Street. It is currently represented by Joceline Schriemer of the Saskatchewan Party, first elected in 2007.
  • Saskatoon Nutana - South of 14th Street and west of Munroe Avenue. It is currently represented by Pat Atkinson of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party, first elected in 1986, and re-elected in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007.
  • Saskatoon Greystone - South of 14th Street and east of Munroe Avenue. It is currently represented by Rob Norris of the Saskatchewan Party, first elected in 2007.

In Saskatoon's non-partisan municipal politics, Varsity View lies within ward 6. It is currently represented by Councillor Charlie Clark, first elected in 2006.

[edit] Institutions

[edit] Education

Brunskill School
Address
101 Wiggans Avenue North
Varsity View subdivision
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, S7N 1K3,
Information
School district Saskatoon Public School Division
Principal Terry Kikcio
Vice principal Elizabeth Phipps
School type Elementary Public
Age range 5 to 12
Grades Kindergarden to Grade 8
Language English
Slogan Together We Are Better
Opened 1951
Homepage
See also: Saskatoon Public School Division and Greater Saskatoon Catholic School Division
  • Brunskill School - public elementary, part of the Saskatoon Public School Division[7]. The school first opened in 1951 and was named after William 'Cy' Brunskill, a longtime member of the school board. It was closed for the 1999-2000 school year while almost the entire building was demolished and then rebuilt. Classes resumed at the "renovated" school in the fall of 2000.[6]
  • Bishop Murray High School - separate (Catholic) secondary, part of the Greater Saskatoon Catholic School Division.[8] The school was originally an elementary school when it opened in the mid-1950s, but was converted in the mid-1980s to a high school with alternative programs.[6]

[edit] Other

  • Albert Community Centre - formerly Albert School, now a multipurpose facility for community events
  • Kinsmen Children's Centre - facility attached to Brunskill School housing several agencies to help children with special needs[9]
  • Luthercare Communities - assisted living and care facility for senior citizens[10]

[edit] Parks and recreation

President Murray Park
President Murray Park
  • Raoul Wallenberg Park (2.6 acres)
  • Cumberland Park (3.3 acres)
  • Albert Park (3.4 acres)
  • President Murray Park (7.3 acres)

The Varsity View Community Association organizes events, delivers recreational and leisure programs, coordinates sports programs for children/youth and maintains the outdoor rink at Brunskill School.[11]

[edit] Commercial

Commercial development is limited; some businesses are located at the southern edge of the neighbourhood, within the 8th Street business district. There are also a few businesses clustered near College Drive and Cumberland Avenue, bordering the University of Saskatchewan campus. A couple of businesses also exist adjacent to Brunskill School on Temperance Street and Wiggans Avenue.

[edit] Location

Varsity View is located within the Core Neighbourhoods Suburban Development Area. It is bounded by College Drive to the north, 8th Street to the south, Cumberland Avenue to the east, and Clarence Avenue to the west. Roads are laid out in a grid fashion; streets run east-west, avenues run north-south. The University Bridge connects the north end of the neighbourhood to the west side of Saskatoon.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Varsity View neighbourhood profile - 2006. City of Saskatoon - City Planning Branch (2006). Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
  2. ^ Populace Spring 2006. City of Saskatoon - City Planning Branch (2006). Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
  3. ^ Municipal Heritage Properties - Bottomley House. City of Saskatoon - Development Services Branch. Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
  4. ^ a b Municipal Heritage Properties - Albert School. City of Saskatoon - Development Services Branch. Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
  5. ^ O'Brien, Jeff; Ruth W. Millar, William P. Delainey (2006). in Roberta Coulter: Saskatoon: A History in Photographs. Coteau Books, p.31. ISBN I-55050-336-7. 
  6. ^ a b c Wilson, Peter (September 7, 2006). Neighbourhood of higher learning. The StarPhoenix. Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
  7. ^ Brunskill School. Saskatoon Public School Division. Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
  8. ^ Bishop Murray High School. Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools. Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
  9. ^ Kinsmen Children's Centre. Saskatoon Health Region. Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
  10. ^ Luthercare Communities. Luthercare Communities. Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
  11. ^ Varsity View Community Association. City of Saskatoon - Leisure Services & Community Development. Retrieved on 2007-10-15.

[edit] External links