Nestled in the heart of downtown on the corner of Richmond and Varennes, the Town Hall/Opera House is one of Wolseley’s most famous attractions. Built at a turn of the century as a Town Hall, Fire Brigade, and Opera House, this attraction was restored in the early 1990’s. It serves as an illustrious gathering place for weddings, socials, and numerous other community events.
The Wolseley Town Hall/Opera House is one of Saskatchewan’s last remaining turn of the century designed, small town, multi-purpose public buildings. The original Town Hall plans provided room for a council chamber, the Mechanics Institute (the library), a fire hall, a jail cell, and above all, an auditorium. The auditorium was usually called the “Opera House.”
The building was in continuous use from 1907 until structural problems forced closure to the public in 1989. Some aspects of its use never changed during that time frame; for instance, it was always home to the fire brigade and the library.
The east side double doors take you to what once served as the home of the fire brigade. Horse drawn equipment included a pump, chemical engine, ladder wagon and hose reel. In those days the Fire Hall had doors at the east and west end as horses did not back up that well. This section of the building stored a modern fire truck right up to 1989 . At that time, the purchase of another new truck meant the brigade simply outgrew its home after eighty years. In recognition of fire brigade history, the Fire Hall sign above the east door was left in place.