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Little Hacienda on the Prairies
Rich with Baroque Flourish and Spanish Flair
At first, Meg Gerwing didn’t think of it as a rescue mission when she set her sights on a unique little 1930-built house in Nutana. She was living in a large home down the street, just looking to make her life a little smaller. She knew the unusual house was sitting empty and she watched it languish for five
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Saskatoon HOME
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years, tangled up in the estate of the late Mary Spinks. Mary and Dr. J.W.T. Spinks, Univer-
sity of Saskatchewan president 1960–75, had lived in the house for over two decades.
Originally built for $7,000 in 1930, it was inspired by California Spanish Revival style architecture, popular in 1920s Hollywood.
Fall 2016
Throwing a Lifeline While the Spinkses had no children, there were distant relatives and Meg worried they would stop the sale at the 11th hour. She held her breath; she knew there were developers keen to have the property. The house is only 1100 sq. ft. but it sits on a 60-foot double lot.