St. Joseph's Dancehall

St. Joseph’s Dancehall is a Municipal Heritage Property which occupies one urban lot in the Organised Hamlet of St. Joseph’s in the Rural Municipality of South Qu’Appelle No. 157. The property features a stucco-clad, wood-frame building constructed in 1928.

The heritage value of St. Joseph’s Dancehall lies in its association with the social and cultural development of St. Joseph’s Colony. German Catholics fleeing religious persecution in Russia formed St. Joseph’s Colony upon arriving in the area in 1886. Concern that residents were leaving the community for lack of entertainment led to the construction of this dancehall in 1928. Constructed with volunteer labour and fundraising, the hall was designed to accommodate a variety of entertainments including plays, orchestras and dances. St. Joseph’s Dancehall has been the central social gathering place in the community and has brought generations of St. Joseph’s residents together.

Source:

Rural Municipality of South Qu’Appelle NO. 157, Bylaw No. 2/84.

The heritage value of the St. Joseph’s Dancehall resides in the following character-defining elements:

-those elements reflecting the property’s use as a social gathering place, such as the form and massing, the hardwood floor, elevated stage, and the building’s orientation on its original lot.