Description of Historic Place
The Drill Hall, also known as Building 17, situated in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Depot in Regina, is set back from surrounding buildings and surrounded by a large parking lot. The large, brick walled structure incorporates corner buttresses, stepped gables and stonework details. The building has a gable roof and a prominent main entrance. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.
Heritage Value
The Drill Hall is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.
Historical Value:
The Drill Hall is closely associated with equestrian training, an activity that remained part of the RCMP recruit education curriculum until the 1960s. However with the construction of a new combined stable and riding school at the depot in 1953-54, this building was converted into a drill hall. The Drill Hall is also associated with drill instruction of recruits.
Architectural Value:
The Drill Hall is valued for its good aesthetic qualities which incorporate Gothic Revival elements, as seen for example in the stone capped buttresses. The very good functional design of the interior with its large open space once used by the riding school is well suited to its current role as a drill hall. Good craftsmanship is evident in the exterior stone detailing.
Environmental Value:
The Drill Hall reinforces the present institutional character of the training establishment setting. It is a familiar landmark within the depot.
Sources: Kate MacFarlane, 11 Early Buildings at the RCMP Depot, Regina, Saskatchewan, Heritage Character Statement 86-022; Drill Hall, RCMP Building 17, RCMP Depot Division, Regina, Saskatchewan, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Report 85-04 to 85-063.
Character-Defining Elements
The character-defining elements of the Drill Hall should be respected.
Its aesthetic with Gothic Revival influence, good functional design and good quality materials and craftsmanship, for example:
- the building’s large rectangular form and massing;
- the gable roof supported by the steel truss roof system;
- the building’s brick wall exterior, which incorporates Gothic Revival elements such as the stone capped corner buttresses and raised and stepped end gables capped by stonework copings;
- the large clear span of the open, central drill space;
- the prominent east main entrance with carved RCMP crest above, and the matching, large doorway in the west elevation;
- the three windows set in the symmetrical east and west façades and the regular, high placement of the side windows.
The manner in which the Drill Hall reinforces the institutional present character of the training facility and is a landmark within the depot, as evidenced by:
- its scale, materials and design that complement and contribute to the institutional character of the depot;
- its familiarity to RCMP personnel and visitors given its prominent location surrounded by large open space and specialized use.
