Description of Historic Place

The Eagles Hall is a one-storey, wood-clad building located on a corner of the main commercial thoroughfare in Ladysmith, British Columbia. The historic place is confined to the building footprint.

Heritage Value

The Ladysmith Eagles Hall is valued for its association with a long line of significant owners and tenants who all played important roles in the history of the community. The first occupant was the Ladysmith Leader, the town's first newspaper. A succession of other newspapers occupied the premises until 1912 when operations were moved to a new building. The building next served as a barracks to house the militia who were brought in to restore order after the Great Miners' Strike riots of 1913. The building remained a barracks during the First Word War, this time housing the Irish Fusiliers. After the war, the building served as the meeting hall for the Native Sons and Daughters and, later still, it became the Eagles Hall. Whether a newspaper office, a barracks or a community meeting hall, the building represents different phases in the community’s development and, as such, is an important tangible reminder of its heritage.

Built in 1901, the Eagles Hall has had renovations and additions, including extensions to both the north and south elevations, but its overall character and scale remain substantially intact. Generally modest in scale and detail, the building is valued as a good example of an early vernacular commercial and institutional structure.

The Eagles Hall is valued as part of a grouping of historic buildings adjacent to the commercial core of Ladysmith and contributes substantially to the heritage character of the area.

Source: Town of Ladysmith Development Services

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Eagles Hall include:

- all of the elements of the original building including the wood siding, gable roof and one-storey height
- the location within a group of historic buildings adjacent to the commercial core