Description of Historic Place
The Dairy Technology Annex, also known as Building 57, is located at the Central Experimental Farm National Historic Site of Canada in Ottawa. The building consists of a domestic, two-storey, stucco-clad, hipped-gable roof structure that is connected by an enclosed breezeway to a modern, flat-roofed brick building. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.
Heritage Value
The Dairy Technology Annex is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.
Historical Value
The Dairy Technology Annex illustrates the Government of Canada’s development of the experimental farm system and its role in agricultural research and education. The building is associated with the work of both Dr. Alan Lochhead, Chief of the newly formed Division of Bacteriology and Dairy Research in 1937, and the work of Dr. Cyril Kay Johns, a distinguished bacteriologist and dairy scientist, who became Director of the Dairy Research Institute in 1959. The building also illustrates the role of the farm service in assuring the success of western settlement by determining which crops and breeds had the best chance of survival in the extreme Canadian climate. The 1952 addition typifies the post-Second World War construction boom in response to unprecedented population growth and economic prosperity. The corresponding rapid expansion of the Canadian government necessitated an increase in facilities to accommodate a growing civil service.
Architectural Value
The Dairy Technology Annex is valued for its good aesthetic qualities. The original building is a picturesque interpretation of a farm structure, with its stucco-clad walls, hipped-gable roof and front verandah. The addition is in the International Style and has a red brick façade, horizontal bands of windows and stone accents. The good utilitarian plan of the interior includes offices, workrooms and laboratories. Good craftsmanship is evidenced in the exterior finishes including the stuccoed walls, masonry work and wood millwork.
Environmental Value
The Dairy Technology Annex is compatible with the agricultural character of its experimental farm setting and is a neighbourhood landmark at the farm.
Sources: Kate MacFarlane, Dairy Technology Building (No. 57), Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office, Building Report, 96-136; Dairy Technology Building, Building #57, Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, Ontario, Heritage Character Statement, 96-136.
Character-Defining Elements
The character-defining elements of the Dairy Technology Annex should be respected.
Its good aesthetic design, good functional design and good materials and craftsmanship, for example:
-the complementary two-storey massing of the 1920s building and the 1950s flat-roofed addition;
-the vernacular features and materials of the 1920s building such as the stucco-clad walls, the wooden verandah, wood windows and the shingled, hipped-gable roof;
-the features of International Style and the materials of the addition such as the smooth red brick walls with stone masonry accents framing the horizontal bands of window;
-the utilitarian plan, which consists of offices, workrooms and laboratories and the circulation spine.
The manner in which the Dairy Technology Annex is compatible with the agricultural character of its experimental farm setting and is a neighbourhood landmark, as evidenced by:
-its overall composition, materials and details, which harmonize with the surrounding Central Experimental Farm buildings;
-its relationship to the adjacent structures such as the Horticulture Building (Building 55), the Storage Building (Building 56), the Small Dairy Barn and the Main Dairy Barn;
-its visibility, given its prominent location on the Driveway and its role as a component of the larger farm complex, which makes it familiar to visitors and employees.
