'You can't put a price on memories': Regina's Shumiatcher residence listed for sale
The "Shumiatcher residence," located on the corner of College Avenue and McIntyre Street, has been listed for sale.
The property is located at 2520 College Ave. Originally built as two separate houses 3ft apart, one home in 1911 and the other in 1920, amalgamated into one by the Shumiatchers in the early 80’s.
“[The main home] was purchased in the 50’s,” said real estate agent Murray Dollard. “When the property came up on the corner, the Shumiatchers bought that. They combined the two together and had two living quarters.”
The Shumiatchers were prominent members of the Regina community for decades.
Morris and Jacqueline “Jacqui” Shumiatcher were supporters the arts, notably of the Norman MacKenzie Art Gallery, Globe Theatre, and the Regina Symphony Orchestra. They also supported numerous individual artists and students through scholarships.
Jacqui was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2017 and received the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 2001.
Morris Shumiatcher passed away in 2004 and Jacqui in February of 2021.
“They were just great people,” lifelong friend Noela Bamford told CTV News. “They had a lot to give to the community.”
Bamford rented what is known as ‘second home’ from the Shumiatchers before the combination. She credited herself with the idea to build the current go-between walkway to connect the homes when the original plan was to connect through a closet wall.
“But on the other side, they had Inuit carvings and they would have had to destroy the wall that displayed a lot of them in the bigger house,” she recalled.
The Regina heritage book said ‘main home’ was one of the first constructed on the street. The structure itself is straight out of a storybook.
“You have a shaped roof that is rolled, you just don’t see that anymore,” said Dollard. “Some of the stained glass in here is from the 1800’s.”
Scaling over 4,000 square feet, each room has its own identity.
“Main home is a two storey with grand front entry, impressive living room with ceiling beams, Tyndal stone fireplace, tile flooring, wall bench overlooking front yard and a wall of shelving and cabinets,” the listing outlined. “Beautiful dining room with ceiling beams, loads of storage and a gorgeous window overlooking the backyard.”
Three wood fireplaces exist, although central heating and cooling has been retrofitted into the property.
“Second home is a bungalow with loads of character. Enter into the beautiful living room with brick fireplace and impressive built-in shelving. Bright sun room off living area,” the listed described.
Shelves that once held sculptures from around the world and walls with paintings hung on every inch possible are now bare. Rooms that hosted princes, governors and numerous dinner parties of distinguished guests, now empty.
But for Bamford, it is the little moments she remembers best.
“We would always help clean up after her dinner parties,” she said. “We would spend more time at the sink just looking out the window. It was wonderful.”
The home is listed for $1.295 million. But the friendship created in it is invaluable, according to Bamford.
“I feel really privileged having been a part of their lives,” she said. “They were such great friends. I really, really miss her.
“You can’t put a price on memories. To me, there no monetary value I could put on the friendship I had with Jacqui and Shumy,” she added.
Advocates for the property have been attempting to grant the home heritage status.
The property has been on the Heritage Regina Holding Bylaw list since 1989.
Correction
This story previously stated the Shumiatcher residence is a Regina heritage property, which is incorrect. The property has been on the Regina Heritage Holding Bylaw List since 1989.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.