Description of Historic Place

Signal Hill: No. 508 forms the northern boundary of a small industrial courtyard on a flat site on Signal Hill. The building is a large two-storey, rectangular, gabled-roofed, brick structure. The main entrance is a large pair of sliding doors on the western end. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

Signal Hill: No. 508 Former Reserve Ordnance Stores is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value:
Signal Hill: No. 508 is a very good example of a building constructed as part of the Victoria-Esquimalt coastal artillery system that defended the dockyard and the coastline against enemy attack. Its former role was as an ordnance depot and a clearing centre for ordnance supplies from Britain. In this role it supported the fixed batteries of the coastal-defence system until after the First World War.

Architectural Value:
Signal Hill: No. 508 is a good example of a vernacular structure displaying the symmetry and proportions associated with British military architecture. The ornamental brickwork and segmentally arched openings are classically inspired. Good craftsmanship is evident in the high quality brickwork.

Environmental Value:
Signal Hill: No. 508 reinforces the present character of the Signal Hill complex at the Canadian Forces Base at Esquimalt and contributes to a compact grouping of historic structures of similar design and materials. Located on a flat, little changed site at the base of Signal Hill, its size and its highly visible location along Signal Hill Road make it the most prominent among a group of turn-of-the-century buildings.

Sources:
Ian Doull, Signal Hill, CFB Esquimalt (10 Buildings), Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, British Columbia. Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Report 89-203; Signal Hill Gun Emplacement No. 508, CFB Esquimalt, Esquimalt, British Columbia. Heritage Character Statement 89-203.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of Signal Hill: No. 508 should be respected.

Its functional design and good quality materials and craftsmanship, for example:
-the simple, large massing and symmetry of the two-storey, rectangular, gable roofed building and the corbelled brick chimneys.;
-the ornamental brickwork, the segmentally-arched openings and plinth;
-the entrance consisting of a large pair of sliding doors on the western end of the building;
-the original exposed-truss timber roof framing;

The manner in which Signal Hill: No. 508 reinforces the present character of CFB Esquimalt and is a local landmark as evidenced by:
- its size and its highly visible location along Signal Hill Road, which makes it the most prominent among a group of turn-of-the-century buildings;
- its visual association with the compact group of historic structures.