Description of Historic Place

Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Building 30b, also known as the Ammunition Storage Building, is built into the earthworks between the former Fort Frederick’s Martello Tower and Lake Ontario at the RMC campus in Kingston. The structure is covered with earth on all sides except for the entrance, which is comprised of parallel, sloped retaining walls leading to a peaked vertical wall which incorporates a doorway. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

RMC Building 30b is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental value.

Historical Value
RMC Building 30b is associated with the pre-confederation enlargement of the defences of Fort Frederick beginning in 1846. Fort Frederick was constructed in 1813 to defend Kingston harbour against the United States. The building is associated with what has become, since 1989, Point Frederick National Historic Site of Canada.

Architectural Value
RMC Building 30b is a specialized military defence structure. It demonstrates a very good functional combination of landform and constructed space, designed to store dangerous explosives. Its walls, symmetrically arranged to protect its single entrance, incorporate a small gable and correspond to visible elements of neighbouring structures. The very good craftsmanship of the structure is evidenced in the stone work.

Environmental Value
RMC Building 30b reinforces the character of the military setting at Point Frederick National Historic Site of Canada, which it is associated with, and is a familiar structure in the area.

Sources: Joan Mattie, Lunette Building (Building 30a), Ammunition Storage (Building 30b), Fort Frederick, Royal Military College, Kingston, Ontario, Federal Heritage Building Review Office Building Report 93-99; Ammunition Storage (#30b), former Fort Frederick, Royal Military College, Kingston, Ontario, Heritage Character Statement, 93-99.

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements of RMC Building 30b should be respected.

Its role as an illustration of the pre-Confederation defences of Canada is reflected in:
- the unaltered combination of unobtrusive earthwork and minimal architectural visibility in accordance with its original purpose to store dangerous explosives during a potential attack.

Its very good functional combination of landform and constructed space and very good craftsmanship, for example:
- the spare, precise stone walls, symmetrically arranged to protect its single entrance.
- the entrance which incorporates a small gable as an accent relating to the more visible architectural gestures of neighbouring structures;
- the ordered combinations of coursed stone, dressed and rusticated, that correspond to the treatment of all the Fort Frederick structures from 1836.

The manner in which RMC Building 30b reinforces the character of the defensive military setting at Point Frederick National Historic Site of Canada, which it is associated with, and is a familiar landmark, as evidenced by:
- the open landscapes outside its entrance, and comprising most of its exterior walls and roof;
- the building’s location in context, helping to define an essential historical and functional setting in the green space within the fortified precinct of the Fort.