Description of Historic Place

Located in the Bear Creek Compound, Warehouse 2, also known as Building 3, is one of a number of buildings loosely arranged around the compound’s central yard. Warehouse 2 is a simple, two-storey, rectangular wood-frame structure with corrugated steel siding, a gable roof, a deep overhang at the front of the building, and an overhead crane track that connects it with the Machine Shop. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

Warehouse 2 is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value
Warehouse 2 is associated with the corporate phase of Klondike gold mining in the early 20th century. Built by the Yukon Consolidated Gold Company (YCGC) to house large stocks of dredge parts and other commodities that could not be purchased on short notice, Warehouse 2 illustrates the importance of warehousing in a northern location. Warehouse 2 is also associated with the 1930s rejuvenation phase of the Bear Creek Compound when the Yukon Consolidated Gold Company (YCGC) launched the expansion and upgrading of this industrial plant including the general refurbishment of buildings, the rebuilding of several dredges, the improvement of the internal transportation network, an extensive prospecting project, and the construction of new buildings.

Architectural Value
Warehouse 2 is a good example of one of the main functional building types at the Bear Creek Compound. Constructed of good quality, durable materials, the level of craftsmanship is consistent with a frontier situation and a mining community that was not intended to be permanent. The utilitarian design of Warehouse 2 is simple and efficient, and is well suited for the moving and storage of spare parts and other commodities.

Environmental Value
Warehouse 2 reinforces the corporate industrial character of this obsolete placer gold mining area. The warehouse is located among the compound’s cluster of industrial buildings, which are loosely arranged around the central yard, and set within the unique landscape of tailing piles produced during dredging operations that stretch for miles around Bear Creek, into the Klondike River Valley.

Sources: Joan Mattie, Bear Creek Industrial Complex (38 Buildings), Bear Creek, Yukon. Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Building Report 89-008; Warehouse No.2 (Building #3), Bear Creek Industrial Complex, Bear Creek, Yukon, Heritage Character Statement 89-008.

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements of Warehouse 2 should be respected.

Its role as an illustration of the corporate mining phase of Klondike gold extraction in the early 20th century is reflected in:
- the building’s simple, functional design and materials that are consistent with its use and its frontier location.

Its utilitarian design, and good quality materials as manifested in:
- the building’s simple, warehouse form and massing including the gable roof, and deep overhang with exposed bracing above the front doors;
- the large double doors with horseshoe hinges at the back and front of the building;
- the large, open interior space with mezzanines and short stairs on either side and a centre aisleway for moving and manipulating items into storage;
- the use of durable, utilitarian materials such as corrugated steel for sheathing and wood for the frame;
- the track for the overhead crane that used to connect with the Machine Shop.

The building’s compatibility with the corporate industrial character of this obsolete placer gold mining area as evidenced in:
- its scale and materials;
- its close relationship with the Machine Shop;
- its location which is set back but part of the loose arrangement of buildings around the compound’s central yard.