New infill houses in Saskatoon’s historic neighborhoods get mixed responses

Some of Saskatoon’s oldest neighborhoods have homes standing since the late 1800s.

But many of those homes are seeing new neighbors who look completely different.

Century-old homes with large porches and unique features are being joined by those with modern finishes, uncluttered views and large windows.

A local historian worries that it is becoming too much.

“I think it’s going to create a very, very bland, uninteresting environment. Because these houses are so distinctive and because they’ve been here so long, they themselves tell the story of the neighborhood,” said Dianne Wilson, a member of the Saskatoon Heritage Society.

Wilson says new infill houses are taking away the character of older neighborhoods.

“I don’t like the infill because generally, if it’s an economy build, it’s like a cereal box with little holes punched in it for windows. And if they try to make it a little richer, they can’t get the proportions right.”

But others say introducing different ages and styles could be good for the area.

“I don’t think it’s a terrible thing to have a little diversity in the age of the houses in a neighborhood. Some of these houses are in pretty bad shape,” said Andrew Wallace, an architect with Wallace Kruger Architects.

Wallace says people want to live in exciting neighborhoods, but keeping an older home up to code can be too expensive and too much work, so some people choose to replace the home.

And not all new houses have an ultra-modern look.

“People have different tastes. Some people prefer modern homes, and some people prefer heritage homes. Some people, I think, prefer modern homes that look like heritage homes,” Wallace said.

Wallace says some cities have architectural controls in historic districts that make all the infill houses a style similar to the time period of the existing area.

But as more housing is built, the challenge will be balancing the history that gave these neighborhoods character and allowing new styles to help them grow further.

Watch the video above for more on why old houses are being swapped out and the different thoughts behind it.

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