Description of Historic Place

Building 1020 is a long, one-storey L-shaped wood frame structure with a flat roof, a raised concrete-topped rubble foundation, shiplap siding, a crenellated cornice line, tall windows and an octagonal tower at the main entrance. Constructed in 1921, Building 1020 replaced the original administration building destroyed by fire in 1917, and is located at the eastern end of the original parade square at the Work Point Barracks, CFB Esquimalt. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

Building 1020 is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical value:
Building 1020 is associated with the need for coastal artillery defence in the Victoria-Esquimalt area of southwestern British Columbia. Work Point Barracks was established in 1887 as the quartering, administrative, and command center for the C Battery, Regiment of Canadian Artillery. In 1893, it became the command headquarters of an expanded coastal defence system which was intended to protect the Dockyard and the nearby capital of Victoria from attack by hostile warships.

Architectural value:
Building 1020 is a good example an military building designed in an eclectic style, the most prominent features of which are the most prominent of which are the tall windows, a crenellated cornice line, and a central octagonal tower with an arched opening which houses the main entrance door. Formal and massive in appearance, Building 1020 is also characterized by a superior level of craftsmanship in the execution of the carpentry on all the exterior components.

Environmental value:
Building 1020 frames and anchors the eastern edge of the original parade square on a flat, formally landscaped site, with its back against the narrow end of a peninsula. Visually prominent, Building 1020 reinforces the military setting and is known to base personnel and to visitors alike as the main administration building and the headquarters of the garrison commander.

Sources:
Ian Doull, Work Point Barracks, CFB Esquimalt (15 Buildings), Esquimalt, BC. Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Building Report 89-205.

Building 1020 (Administration Building), CFB Esquimalt, Esquimalt, British Columbia. Heritage Character Statement 89-205.

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements of Building 1020 should be respected, for example:

Its unique and eclectic design, functional layout and high quality materials and craftsmanship as manifested in:

-the formal, well-proportioned, one-storey L-shaped wood frame building which features a central octagonal
tower with an arched entrance opening and recessed door, tall windows, and a raised concrete topped rubble
foundation;
-the distinctive silhouette created by the flat roof, crenellated cornice line and tower;
-the execution of the carpentry on all exterior components;
-the textures and colours of the exterior cladding such as the white shiplap siding and projecting entablature,
and the green cornerboards, cornice cap, window trim and door surrounds;
-the axial circulation pattern that creates a central hall plan flanked by double-loaded corridors; and,
-the original interior finishes such as the paneling and fittings including picture rails.

The manner in which the building reinforces the military character of the setting as evidenced in:

-its architectural compatibility with the other frame buildings on the parade square;
-its visual prominence owing to its design, proportions and commanding location at the eastern end of the
parade square where it frames the site and serves as an anchor to this important organizing feature.