Description of Historic Place

Building D109 is situated on a sloping site at the end of Hospital Road, the main road through the Dockyard at Esquimalt. It is an elongated rectangular, two-storey, flat roofed, brick structure on a rubblestone foundation that is fully exposed at the rear of the building. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

Building D109, the former Sail Loft and Oil Stores, is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value:
Building D109 is an example of a warehouse built under the Royal Navy’s 1895-1904 building program and is directly associated with the principal function of the Dockyard. The structure is associated with the role of storage of naval supplies which continued until the 1950s.

Architectural Value:
Building D109 is a good example of Royal Navy brick architecture from the 1895-1904 Dockyard rebuilding program and was rebuilt during the Second World War. It is industrial in design with basic classical elements exhibiting good functional design and good craftsmanship as evidenced in the brickwork. It illustrates the high quality brickwork during the Second World War period, and is compatible with other brick buildings constructed during the 1895-1904 rebuilding program.

Environmental Value:
Building D109 is the westernmost structure in the dockyard and frames the north side of the Duntze Head area. The site has changed but the building still reinforces the present character of the dockyard. It is a significant feature in the Hospital Road streetscape and in the urban environment of the Dockyard and is a familiar building to those visiting the neighbourhood.

Sources:
Ian Doull, Dockyard, CFB Esquimalt (82 Buildings), Esquimalt, British Columbia. Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Report 89-202; Building D109 (former Sail Loft and Oil Stores), Esquimalt Dockyard, Esquimalt, British Columbia Heritage Character Statement 89-202

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements of Building D109 should be respected:

Its functional design and good quality materials and craftsmanship, for example:

- The regular massing of the rectangular, two-storey, flat roofed structure with raised end parapets on a rubblestone foundation.
- The red brick exterior walls with raised end parapets.
- The second stone course that encircles the building above the second floor windows.
- The regular placement of six-over-six double-hung windows along the north and south facades.

The manner in which Building D109 reinforces the present character of the dockyard at Esquimalt as evidenced by:

- Its relationship with the cohesive Hospital Road streetscape and the urban environment of the Dockyard.
- Its relationship with the adjacent expanse of landscaped area extending to the shoreline.