AVENUE E: REVIVING THE HOUSE ON THE CORNER
The plot of land at the foot of Avenue E wasn’t the original location of what is now the Landa Residence.
In 1910, the land belonged to the City of Saskatoon, according to its archives, and it planned to build the west side of its firehall there. It moved a house from 16th Street West to the current location to be the home of Thomas Heath, the city’s fire chief at the time.
Heath is noted in Saskatoon Public Library records as the man who transformed the fire department into a modern force.
By 1912 standards, the cost of moving the house and renovating it was high, at $1,800. By the 1920s, the house was in the hands of the Landa family, who owned it for many decades after their arrival in Canada in the early 1900s.
The Landa Residence, now a municipal heritage property, has cultural and historical significance in the community because the Landas were among the first Jewish immigrants to settle in the city.
David Landa, the great-grandson of the original owners, says that someone came along 20 years ago who decided to restore the house.
The house was before his time, but it was a vital part of his ancestors’ lives, he says.
The Landas have been active contributors to Saskatoon, as well as to the growth of the local Jewish community. David Landa’s grandfather was involved in Pioneer Days, a precursor to the Saskatoon Exhibition, and his father was involved with the Saskatoon Health Foundation.
“We all thought it was important to be a part of the fabric of the city,” Landa said.
They also founded and operated Landa Autobody on Avenue C. It was originally a blacksmith shop operated by David Landa’s greatgrandfather. The shop was later used to make hearses for funerals, and then wagons.
The business was passed from Landa’s great-grandfather to his grandfather, then to his father, and on to him in 1984. In 2009, he sold the business, ending 102 years of family ownership.
Landa says he has no regrets about selling the business.
“We had done what we wanted to do for 102 years and I just wanted to do something different, and we were very fortunate somebody came along who wanted to buy it and maintain the business.”
The name recognition that comes with it is good for the new owner, too, he says.
“There’s not a lot of companies anywhere that made it over 100 years. So, we’re … a part of the community and have a very good reputation for what we did
“And it just carries on in the community, even though we’re not directly involved in it anymore.”
The new owner, David Gersher, owned an auto shop elsewhere in the city, but its lease was expiring. He says he was drawn to Landa Autobody because it was established by newcomers from Russia — he himself immigrated from the Soviet Union.
“This name was established in 1908,” he said, when interviewed in the fall, of the autobody Shop’s name. “It’s 2015. It’s over 100 years of service in Saskatoon.”