Description of Historic Place
A Block, also known as Building 14 and Administrative A Block, is located at the southwest corner of the Barracks Square, at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Depot Division. It is a large, two-storey, brick structure with a two-storey addition at its rear. Designed in the Tudor Gothic style, the building features white stone detailing, a projecting central entryway, stepped parapets and crenellated corner towers. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.
Heritage Value
The A Block is a Classified Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.
Historical Value
The A Block was designated a Classified Federal Heritage Building because of its strong historical associations with the RCMP in Regina. Its construction marked a major departure in the provision of Mounted Police accommodation, as its Tudor Gothic styling influenced the exterior design of most of the other larger Depot Division buildings constructed over the next three decades.
Architectural Value
A block is an imposing two-storey building notable for its very good craftsmanship in the Tudor Gothic style. The massing and architectural detailing on the building reflect a penchant for a stylized Tudor Gothic design. The strongly projecting central entryway, stepped parapets and crenellated corner towers are softened by their measured scaling and the incorporation of extensive white stone detailing. More modest renderings of the raised, stepped and stone-capped end gables and corner-buttress forms are dominant stylistic elements found in most of the major Depot Division buildings erected before the end of World War II. The exterior of the building has remained largely unaltered since its construction in 1912-1913 except for the replacement of its original windows and some alterations to its interior and the subsidiary north and south entrances. The interior layout exhibits its good functional quality as a multi-use building.
Environmental Value
One of the oldest buildings at the RCMP Depot Division, A Block is an appropriate symbol of the strategic role played by the RCMP as a national institution. The Barracks Square enhances the importance of the building and also maintains the original and most appropriate setting for the building. It reinforces the character of the surrounding area and is compatible with the overall setting of the Division Depot. Well-constructed and well-maintained, it continues to play an important role in establishing the character of the area.
Sources: Saunders, RCMP Building 14, Administrative A Block, Regina, Saskatchewan, Federal Heritage Building Review Office Building Report 86-022; RCMP Building 14, Administrative A Block, Regina, Saskatchewan, Heritage Character Statement, 86-022.
Character-Defining Elements
The character-defining elements of the A Block should be respected.
Its very good functional design, materials and craftsmanship such as:
-the massing and architectural detailing of the 1912-13 building which reflect a penchant for a stylized Tudor Gothic design;
-the architectural detailing on the exterior elevations of the original building, including the strongly projecting central entryway, stepped parapets and crenellated corner towers, softened by their measured scaling and the incorporation of extensive white stone detailing;
-the original four façades from the 1912-1913 building;
-the interior layout and woodwork.
The manner in which the A Block reinforces the character of its integrated landscaped setting as evidenced by:
-the prominent siting of the building that reinforces the spatial and historic relationships between the building and the barracks square;
-the square itself, which enhances the importance of the building and also maintains the original and most appropriate setting for the building.
