In Memoriam: The Gordon Block

IN MEMORIAM

The Gordon Block (1912-2023)

The Novia Café pictured in 1975, seen from Victoria Park. Photo credit City of Regina Archives, CORA-A-1306

After a difficult retirement, the Gordon Block – the former home of the beloved Novia Café – passed away at the age of 111 in a tragic incident of arson. She had been a recluse for over a decade.

Gordon Block opened at 2170 12^th Ave, on the north side of Victoria Park, in 1912, right as Regina was rebuilding from the devasting 1912 Tornado. The Novia Café, once a beloved downtown staple, opened in the building in 1918. Initially a fine-dining establishment, the café underwent a renovation in the 1960s that transitioned the restaurant into a more casual dining atmosphere. It was an iconic downtown restaurant, even surviving a frightening incident in 1982, when a metal I-beam from the implosion of the McCallum Hill Building smashed through the east wall of the building, into the Novia. After 93 years of hospitality, the beloved café ultimately closed its doors in 2011.

In 1996, the building was designated a Municipal Heritage Building as part of the creation of the Victoria Park Heritage Conservation District. The bylaw that created the district created guidelines to “preserve and promote the distinctive heritage and character of the area surrounding Victoria Park and the Scarth Street Mall by facilitating the rehabilitation of the predominantly pre-World War I heritage buildings and encouraging the redevelopment of properties in keeping with the character of the adjacent heritage buildings”.

Heritage Regina supports the revitalization of the lot formerly occupied by the Gordon Block and hopes to see that it respects the Conservation District’s guidelines, which stipulate that any new buildings “should relate to the design elements of the heritage buildings in a way which enhances the existing heritage character”. The presence of so many buildings surrounding the Gordon Block within the District that predate World War I means that careful attention must be paid to the character and history of the district whenever development projects are undertaken.

Throughout its life, Gordon Block had its doors open to the community. Now, with her gone, the space will continue in that spirit, with an outdoor recreation space being planned for the site where she once stood.

Cremation of the building has taken place. In lieu of flowers and in memory of the Block, please consider attending a Heritage Regina event to learn more about the history of our city, or talk to your city councilor to advocate for the preservation of Regina’s cultural and built heritage.

Photo by Troy Fleece, National Post.

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