Description of Historic Place

Set amongst tree-lined roads, Building B-1, also known as Carruthers Hall, stands within a group of buildings marking the southwest of the Parade Square, Vimy Barracks, Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Kingston. Topped by a hipped roof, the ‘H’-shaped, concrete structure has symmetrical elevations, a projecting two-storey entrance with gabled roof, and staircase blocks. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

Building B-1 is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value:
Building B-1 is associated with the establishment and construction of the Communications School at the Royal Corps of Signals. Constructed under the Public Works Construction Act of 1934, it is also associated with the creation of modern technologies for Canadian National Defence and public service after 1918. The building is integral to the original Vimy Barracks plan at CFB Kingston.

Architectural Value:
Building B-1 is a good example of an early modernist structure combining classical formalism with Art Deco accents, and is characteristic of public works and military base architecture at the end of the Great Depression. The hipped roof added at a later date, the enclosure of original porches and the masking of window openings have muted the design. This functional structure exhibits good craftsmanship and materials.

Environmental Value:
Building B-1 reinforces the present formally planned character of Vimy Barracks within CFB Kingston and is a familiar landmark to residents.

Sources: Vimy Barracks – 19 Buildings, CFB Kingston, Barriefield, Ontario Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Report 94-013 (Notes); Vimy Barracks, No. B-1 (Carruthers Hall), CFB Kingston, Ontario, Heritage Character Statement 94-013.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Building B-1 should be respected.

Its role as an embodiment of the expansion, modernization and diversification of the Canadian military in peacetime as reflected in:
-its essential relationship to the transformation of military functions and facilities in its period;
-its improved standard of robust, durable construction and of functional amenity for its users;
-its location and formality within the original plan and landscape of Vimy Barracks.

Its combination of architectural modernism and functionalism in a durable and economical form as manifested in:
-the modernistic style that combines in a distinctive manner aspects of both contemporary Art-Deco style and neoclassicism;
-the building’s symmetrical and horizontal massing;
-the symmetrical east and west elevations terminated and accented by open porches at the upper storeys, and by protected and elaborated principle entrances;
-the subtle but distinctive double-height articulation on all elevations and the enlivening of the simple wall surfaces by the ordering and framing of the window openings.

The manner in which Building B-1 reinforces the present formally planned character of the Vimy Barracks setting within CFB Kingston and is a familiar local landmark, as evidenced by:
-its large scale, concrete, masonry and stucco materials and formal symmetry that harmonize with the other buildings on manicured grounds that face the parade square;
-the formal symmetry of its location and orientation addressing the principal open ceremonial space of the Vimy Barrracks and the secondary open spaces;
-its visibility and familiarity and the manner in which it harmonizes with the surrounding buildings, and its ongoing use as a barracks that makes it a well-known building in the area.