Description of Historic Place

Security Tower D4 consists of an octagonal tower that features a projecting stone cornice and corbels, and which supports a one-storey security gallery with a bell-cast roof. Security Tower D4 is located at the northwest corner of the Collins Bay Penitentiary's north wall, which is located in the middle of an open expanse of land and is surrounded by an eclectic mix of buildings. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

Security Tower D4 is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical value:
Security Tower D4 is associated with the national historic theme of the Canadian justice system and the development of a system of corrections as a response to a need for a graduated tier of penalties to enforce the law. The construction of Security Tower D4 marked the beginning of the second significant phase of non-agricultural development in Kingston Township and it signified the permanency of the institution in the community. This phase of development was also characterized by the construction of grain elevators in the 1930s and the arrival of Canada Industries Limited in the 1940s.

Architectural value:
The design of Security Tower D4 is influenced by a blend of styles relating to fortification including elements drawn from the Scottish Baronial and Chateau Styles. Balanced and well proportioned, Security Tower D4 is constructed of durable, good quality materials, and displays a superior level of craftsmanship in the execution of the exterior stonework and metal batten standing seam roof.

Environmental value:
Security Tower D4 is located at the northwest corner of the penitentiary's north wall, and together with Tower D1 and the Administration Building, it reinforces the institutional character of the prison. Visible from the surrounding roads, Security Tower D4's distinctive form and location contribute to the identification of the penitentiary and make it a familiar landmark with in the city and the region.

Sources:
Dana Johnson, Twenty-Five Buildings, Collins Bay Institution, Kingston, Ontario. Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Report 01-096.
Security Tower D4, Collins Bay Penitentiary, Kingston, Ontario. Heritage Character Statement 01-096.

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements of Security Tower D4 should be respected, for example:

Its role as an illustration of the development of a system of corrections as a response to a need for a graduated tier of penalties to enforce the law is reflected in:

- its function as part of the penitentiary's first line of defence essential to maintaining prison security.

The building's design, detailing, high quality materials and superior craftsmanship as manifested in:
- the balanced and well proportioned composition of the tower which consists of a concrete base, an octagonal shaft, a projecting stone cornice and corbels and a one-storey security gallery with a bell-cast roof;
- the narrow, deeply inset windows and doorways with their smooth limestone frames;
- the relatively simple functional program which consists of a staircase, guard room and observation gallery;
- the exterior stonework which consists of random coursed rusticated stone walls with dressed stone cornice, corbels and quoins; and,
- the well-built bell-cast roof with its metal, batten standing seam roof.

The manner in which the tower reinforces the institutional character of the prison setting as evidenced in:
- its distinctive and identifiable form as a prison security tower;
- the compatibility of its materials and style with the Security Tower D1, and the Administration Building; and,
- its prominent and visible location at the northwest corner of the prison walls which together with Security Tower D1, and the Administration Building define the perimeter and the public face of the penitentiary.