Description of Historic Place

9 Hangar, also known as Building 112 is a standard 49 metre (160 feet) span structural steel-arched design, consisting of an arched long-span hangar space, flanked by lateral offices tucked into the side of the arch. Its central entrances are equipped with large panel doors on each end elevation, which slide into two large brick-clad pocket door towers. Situated at the end of a row of hangars along the edge of the airstrip, it is bounded by highway 2 and by runway aprons. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

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

Historical Value
Intended to service larger planes that allowed for the transport of troops overseas, 9 Hangar illustrates the expansion of the military during the Cold War era to meet international treaty commitments, such as NATO. It was the first major building erected at Canadian Forces Base Trenton during the Cold War era and is a good example of the third and last phase of development of the base and of its role as a major air transport hub during this period.

Architectural Value
9 Hangar is a good example of modern industrial aesthetic and of the standard 49 metre (160 feet) span structural steel arched hangar design commonly built at Canadian air force bases during the 1950s. Designed by the well-known firm of Ross, Patterson, Townsend and Fish, it offers a rational response to the strict functional requirements of aircraft maintenance, possesses a clean and crisp modern industrial aesthetic, and has endured well thanks to its durable good quality materials and competent craftsmanship.

Environmental Value
Through its location at the end of a line of hangars and its distinctive design, 9 Hangar reinforces the present character of the central operational area of the base. The building has retained its operational relationship with the airfield and remains a familiar landmark to the community of the base thanks to its large size and prominent location.

Sources: Andrew Waldron, 9 Hangar (Building 112), 84 North Star Drive, 8 Wing, CFB Trenton, Astra, Ontario, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office, Report 03-027; 9 Hangar (Building 112), 8 Wing, CFB Trenton, Quinte West, Ontario, Heritage Character Statement 03-027.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of 9 Hangar should be respected.

Its role as an illustration of the Cold War build-up of Canada’s Armed Forces to meet its commitments to international military preparedness and the deployment of personnel to international destinations for overseas operations, as reflected in:
- the standard design 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, functionally progressive design and competent craftsmanship and standard good quality materials, as manifested in:
- the simplicity and clarity of its unadorned, functionally expressive and integrated large-scale composition;
- the simple, balanced symmetrical massing of the large barrel-vault flanked on both sides by two-storey office blocks;
- the tried and true structural design made up of bowstring steel trusses built on a concrete foundation which span 49 metres (160 feet) to a height of approximately 18 metres (60 feet);
- 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 storage and maintenance of aircraft;
- the end elevations with their large doors that slide into massive rectangular brick-clad pocket towers, and smaller openings at their apex intended for taller aircraft tail assemblies;
- the use of standard and effective materials, such as steel and concrete blocks;
- the ribbon windows of the side elevations which emphasize the building’s strong horizontal expression.

The manner in which the building reinforces the character of the central operational area of the base as a military airfield, its relationship to the site and its role as a familiar landmark on the base, as evidenced by:
- the prominence of 9 hangar due to its size and location at the end of a cohesive row of hangars;
- its compatibility with the adjacent group of buildings set in the large, open space of the airfield and its relationship to the adjacent runway aprons.