2nd Avenue Lofts (Saskatoon)

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This former Hudson's Bay Company department store has been converted into residential lofts. After many delays, owners began occupying units in late 2008.
www.2ndavenuelofts.com

The converted building was nominated for the 2009 WAN (World Architectural News) Residential Award.
www.thestarphoenix.com/Lofty+achievement+conversion+dra...

A grocery store called Uptown Market opened on the ground floor in April 2010. It marked the return of a grocery in downtown Saskatoon, five years after the Extra Foods/OK Economy store on 3rd Avenue South closed. However, less than two months later, the grocery store was out of business.
www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2010/04/05/sk-upto...
www.thestarphoenix.com/business/Developers+look+replace...

At first, this was the site of the J.F. Cairns department store. Opened in 1913, it stood an impressive five storeys, had a full basement, and enclosed 90,255 square feet. Built by G.H. Archibald and Company, it was constructed of fireproof steel and concrete, with a frontage of pressed brick, and was considered the finest building in the city, with elevators and a sprinkler system that was state of the art in fire suppression technology.

The store was owned by J.F. Cairns. Born in Lawrenceville, Quebec in 1870, J.F. Cairns had arrived in Saskatoon in 1902, opening the city's first flour mill that same year. One of the city's earliest merchants, he operated a bakery and grocery before expanding into retail. In 1903 he became the first Secretary of the Saskatoon Board of Trade, and he subsequently became a city alderman. A noted sportsman, J.F. Cairns field was opened in 1913. In 1922, he sold his department store to the Hudson's Bay Company.

The building was torn down in 1958 and a new Bay store was built on the same site. In 1960, the new building opened for business. Construction continued with a six-storey parkade on the other side of 2nd Avenue (and a skywalk joining it to the Bay building) opening in 1967. The Bay would occupy the building until it purchased the former Eaton's space in the Midtown Plaza. It vacated the store in 2000.
www.hbc.com/hbcheritage/history/places/stores/saskatoon...