Description of Historic Place

The Drill Hall is a large brick building (53' X 103') with a pitched roof, located on the southwest corner of First Avenue and Monte Cristo Street in upper Rossland, British Columbia. It is located at the top of a steep hill, above the stately Court House which is one block below on Columbia Avenue. A copper plate with the words 'Drill Hall 1904' is above the portico of the main entrance, which faces east. The historic place consists of the building on its footprint.

Heritage Value

The Drill Hall is valued as a landmark building in Rossland due to its size and location on a steep hillside which allows an unfettered view of it from many perspectives in the lower part of Rossland.

The Drill Hall is significant because it is a visual reminder of Rossland's past connections to the Canadian military. Constructed in 1904, the Drill Hall had a large training area on the main floor and storage for artillery and a rifle range in the well-fortified basement. It exemplifies the strong allegiance to Canada and the British Empire felt by the majority of Rosslanders.

The Drill Hall is valued as an example of noteworthy institutional construction of the early 20th century in Rossland. The Drill Hall was designed by the Chief Dominion Architect, David Ewart, and the building materials used were of the highest quality. The floor of the Drill Hall was made of eucalyptus wood - a unique feature in B.C. at that time. The walls were of pressed brick, and the foundation of the building is of locally quarried granite blocks. The roof is covered in the original copper tiles, each embossed with a maple leaf. The basement windows are still barred, reflecting the original use of this space. The exterior is in excellent condition and bears mute testament to the craftsmanship and quality building materials used in its construction.

The Drill Hall is valued because of the significant role it played in the community's social and recreational life, providing the largest indoor space available in Rossland for ball sports and social events for the first half of the 20th century. It was also the home of the Rossland Branch of the Canadian Legion from 1919 to 1945. The cooperative, multi-use of this building demonstrates an important characteristic of this community's cultural development that has continued to this day.

There is a long-standing connection between the Drill Hall and education in Rossland. On two occasions, the Drill Hall temporarily housed classes until new schools were built. In 1957 the Drill Hall was sold by the War Assets Branch and purchased by the Trail School District. Since that time the Drill Hall has been used primarily for educational purposes: as an Annex with gym and cafeteria, a site of temporary classrooms, home of the Alternate School, and most recently, the Francophone School.

Source: City of Rossland

Character-Defining Elements

Key character-defining elements of the Drill Hall include:

- Large size
- Location on steep hillside
- Drill Hall signage over front entrance
- Embossed copper tiles on roof
- Pressed brick walls, foundation of locally quarried granite
- Large windows on the main floor