Historic Saskatoon bus barns set for demolition

The former home of Saskatoon’s transit fleet will be torn down as the vacant building is too old and costly to upgrade.

The remaining bus barns in Caswell Hill are being torn down in the new year.

The former home of Saskatoon’s transit fleet on 24th Street West until 2017 will meet the wrecking ball next spring with the city saying the building is too old and renovating the building to current standards would be too costly.

“I think the city is looking forward to a new use for this location,” said Pam Hamoline, the city’s director of facilities management. “Because we haven’t been in there, it doesn’t really offer a lot to the community, and it doesn’t offer a lot for civic operations. So, with the new use, it could revitalize that area.”

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Hamoline said city council signaled an end to bus barns when council voted to disconnect power and utilities at the site to save $75,100 next year during budget deliberations.

The original bus barns date back to 1913 when the city stored streetcars. That building location, north of 24th Street between Avenue C and D, was sold to a group called Caswell Bus Barns for $2 million last year. A website outlining a vision for the site plans to include a restaurant, artist and vendor space and affordable housing.

The location south of 24th Street was built in 1964 and underwent significant expansions in 1981.

“Other than that, there has been no further fit ups to that building, so it is aged,” Hamoline said.

The city moved its transit administration and bus fleet to the civic operations centre off of Valley Road near the landfill in 2017. Debate at what to do with the bus barns predate that, however.

Conversations about repurposing the area came before council in 2010 with calls of more green space and parks for the area.

Hamoline said the city will issue a request for proposals in the new year for demolition. The goal is to sell or redevelop the land after the site is razed in either the spring or summer.