Description of Historic Place

The Tool Shed sits nestled among the trees, close to the garage at Moorside at the Mackenzie King Estate in Gatineau Park. It is a small, one-storey, L-shaped, building with a shingled roof that has exposed rafter ends. The walls are clad in dark painted vertical boards with multi-paned windows and a large entrance, accented with white-painted wood trim. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Tool Shed is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value
The Tool Shed, as part of Moorside at the Mackenzie King Estate, is directly associated with Canada’s 10th Prime Minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King. Moorside was closely associated with the politics of Canada during King’s lifetime, and represents a highly personalized portrait of the former Prime Minister. It provides a fascinating insight into his interests, tastes, and acute sense of the Romantic. It is also associated with many other major political figures who came to visit King and it is believed to have been the scene of many formal and informal political meetings, where he would bring his honourable guests to admire his artistic accomplishments on the Moorside property. The large estate, inclusive of three separate sites, Kingswood, Moorside and the Farm, was regarded by King himself as his true legacy to the Canadian people.

Architectural Value
The Tool Shed is valued for its good aesthetic and functional design. King designed the building in 1928 along with a number of other outbuildings, and it is believed that he constructed the Tool Shed as part of his recurring desire to create a completely self-sustaining estate. Good craftsmanship is evidenced in its wood construction.

Environmental Value
The Tool Shed remains an essential component in the layout of the grounds, which boasts a refined and carefully cultivated landscape. The building reinforces the picturesque character of its country estate setting in Gatineau Park and is a familiar building within the immediate area.

Sources: Marc de Caraffe, La domaine Mackenzie King, Kingsmere, Parc de la Gatineau, Quebec, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office, Building Report, 84-015; Mackenzie King Estate: Kingswood, Gatineau Park, Québec, Heritage Character Statement, 84-015.

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements of the Tool Shed should be respected.

Its good aesthetic and functional design, and good craftsmanship and materials, for example:
- the one-storey massing of the L-shaped structure with a shingled gable roof with exposed rafter ends;
- the wood-frame construction clad in vertical board siding;
- the multi-paned windows with large entrance opening;
- the white-painted wood trim.

The manner in which the Tool Shed reinforces the present picturesque character of its country estate setting and is familiar in the area, as evidenced by:
- its overall scale, design and materials, which harmonize with its landscaped and natural surroundings and complement the adjacent buildings at the estate;
- its familiarity due to its associations with a former Prime Minister of Canada;
- its visibility to visitors owing to its location in Gatineau Park at the Mackenzie King Estate.