Description of Historic Place

Hangar 14 is a balanced and symmetrical building composed of an arched, long span hangar space, flanking lateral offices tucked into the sides of the arch and a central entrance, all bracketed by two large masonry pocket door towers. Hangar 14 is a large, prominent building located on the edge of a flying field at the former CFB Ottawa-Uplands and the current Ottawa International Airport. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

Hangar 14 is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values:

Historical value:
Hangar 14 is associated with the national historic theme of the post-World War II build-up of Canada's Armed Forces in order to meet its commitments to international military preparedness under the Charter of the United Nations and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) agreements. Purpose-built to house the Avro CF-100 Canuck during the 1950s expansion of the military base, Hangar 14 was necessary to support the mission of international military preparedness and played an internal role in the postwar defence initiative.

Architectural value:
Hangar 14 is a good example of a -Standard Design- 160' span structural steel hangar designed in the modern industrial aesthetic, to house flight squadrons. A simple and elegant engineering solution, the arch was designed to handle snow loading and lateral forces created by wind in severe climatic conditions, and to create a large, extremely flexible work environment that was ideally suited for the functional requirements of a 1950s Cold War Hangar. Hangar 11 also demonstrates a competent level of craftsmanship and good quality materials.

Environmental value:
Hangar 14 reinforces the industrial character of its setting at the former CFB Ottawa-Uplands and the current Ottawa International Airport. A large, prominent building on the edge of a flying field, the character of the site has been retained and the circulation patterns and aprons are still intact. Hangar 14 is well known to military personnel and to the surrounding neighbourhood.

Sources:
Edgar Tumak, Aircraft Hangars 11 and 14, Former CFB Ottawa-Uplands, Ottawa, Ontario. Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Report 96-053 (Supplementary).

Hangar 14, Former CFB Ottawa-Uplands, Ottawa, Ontario. Heritage Character Statement 96-053.

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements of Hangar 14 should be respected, for example:

Its role as an illustration of the post-World War II build-up of Canada's Armed Forces to meet its commitments to international military preparedness (UN and NORAD) is reflected in:
-the -Standard Design- 160' clear span, three-hinged arch which is a simple and elegant engineering solution that successfully accommodates the functional requirements of a hangar by creating a large interior space suitable for housing and servicing aircraft.

Its modern industrial aesthetic, its functionally progressive design and its competent craftsmanship and good quality materials as manifested in:
-the simplicity and clarity of its unadorned and functionally expressive composition;
-the simple juxtaposition of geometric forms including the integration of the pure form of the arch over the principal space, the massive rectangular pocket door towers that house the large, horizontal sliding doors, the two-storey, flat-roofed office wings that flank the arch extend, the entrance module, and the long, lateral ribbon windows of the office spaces;
-the honest expression of the long span, three-hinged segmented steel truss arches which frame the roof and whose girders spring directly from the abutments, creating a large, austere, column-free and extremely flexible interior space suitable for the storage and maintenance of aircraft;
-the use of trafford tile on the exterior of the building which is very durable and distinctively Canadian material.

The manner in which the building reinforces the character of its setting and has visual landmark value are evident in:
-the location of this large, prominent building on the edge of the flying field which has maintained its direct relationship with the adjacent roads and aprons;
-its compatibility with the adjacent group of industrial buildings, set in a large, open space which are readily identifiable as part of an airport.