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Cable Building National Historic Site of Canada

Water Street, Bay Roberts, Newfoundland and Labrador, A0A, Canada

Formally Recognized: 2008/04/11

View of the Cable Building, showing the entrance with triangular pediment, 2006.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, N. Miquelon, 2006.
Detail view
View of the exterior of the Cable Building, showing the concrete and steel structure, clad in red and beige brick, to minimize the risk of fire, 2006.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, N. Miquelon, 2006.
Corner view
General view of the Cable Building, showing the symmetrical disposition of openings, 2006.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, N. Miquelon, 2006.
Façade

Other Name(s)

Western Union Telegraph Co.
Bay Roberts Cable Building
Édifice du Câble de Bay Roberts
Cable Building
Cable Building National Historic Site of Canada
Édifice du câble
Western Union Telegraph Co.

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1913/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2009/04/01

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The Cable Building National Historic Site of Canada is a testament to the development of the telegraph industry in Newfoundland and Canada in the 20th century. Situated on Water Street in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland and Labrador, the concrete and steel structure is Neoclassical in design. The building is clad in red and beige brick and consists of a single, two-storey rectangular portion with a sympathetically-designed lateral wing. The interior spaces were designed to be open and spacious in order to accommodate the telegraph relay station. Currently, the ground floor houses the town hall, and the second floor is home to the Road to Yesterday Museum and the Christopher Pratt Art Gallery. The official recognition refers to the building on its footprint.

Heritage Value

The Cable Building was designated a national historic site of Canada in 2007 because:
- it was an important keystone in transatlantic communications and in the development of the Western Union Telegraph Company network. Its construction represents the corporate entity that dominated the transatlantic telegraph industry from 1912 to the 1960s;
- its design is a strong corporate symbol of the telecommunications giant and a direct affirmation of the impact of the telegraph industry in the 20th century. Moreover, its design introduced to Newfoundland a new type of telegraph station that was more functional and highly specialized in its layout; and,
- it was a flagship of telegraph technologies, illustrating Western Union's important role as an innovative industry leader.

In the late 19th century, Newfoundland became a major hub for the development of telecommunications networks as it offered the shortest route to link North America and Europe. In 1910, the first transatlantic cable for the Western Union Telegraph Company was landed in a temporary building in Bay Roberts. By 1913, the current Cable Building in Bay Roberts was built to serve as the main relay between the North American and European networks of Western Union Telegraph. Its establishment was a key component in the company’s international strategy and its architectural design is important corporate evidence of the expansion and dominance of Western Union in Newfoundland. The design of the Cable Building also introduced a new type of telegraph station to Newfoundland as it adopted the Western Union Telegraph corporate model. The architecture demonstrates a functional and specialized layout with rooms dedicated to specific equipment, technical operations, and administration. From its technical design to the connecting cables, the Cable Building was a flagship of telegraph technologies, illustrating Western Union's important role as an innovative industry leader.

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements contributing to the heritage value of this site include:
- the location in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland, strategically placed for transatlantic telecommunications;
- the concrete and steel structure, clad in red and beige brick, to minimize the risk of fire;
- the symmetrical disposition of openings, an expression of the building’s two levels and applied details such as an entrance with triangular pediment;
- the open and spacious interior spaces designed to accommodate the many functions of a telegraph relay station;
- the interior layout with strategically designed rooms dedicated to equipment, technical operations, and administration;
- the technical design that was more functional and highly specialized in its layout which became a strong corporate symbol of the Western Union Telegraph Company.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Federal

Recognition Authority

Government of Canada

Recognition Statute

Historic Sites and Monuments Act

Recognition Type

National Historic Site of Canada

Recognition Date

2008/04/11

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

1960/01/01 to 1960/01/01
1996/01/01 to 1996/01/01
1925/01/01 to 1926/01/01

Theme - Category and Type

Developing Economies
Communications and Transportation

Function - Category and Type

Current

Leisure
Museum
Government
Town or City Hall

Historic

Industry
Communications Facility

Architect / Designer

McKenzie, Vorhee and Gamelin

Builder

D.C. Weeks & Son

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

National Historic Sites Directorate, Documentation Centre, 5th Floor, Room 89, 25 Eddy Street, Gatineau, Quebec.

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

11846

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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