Description of Historic Place

The Comox Logging and Railway Shops Building is a large, utilitarian structure located between the waterfront and the Esquimalt and Nanaimo main rail line, just outside the downtown core of Ladysmith, British Columbia. The historic place is confined to the building footprint.

Heritage Value

The Comox Logging and Railway Shops Building is valued as a very rare, intact remnant of the community's industrial logging past. The Comox Logging and Railway Company played the key role in the resuscitation of the town's economy after the coal mines closed in 1931. For several years, Ladysmith suffered a severe economic slump and the town experienced a loss in population. This situation was dramatically reversed in 1936 when the Comox Logging and Railway Company started a major new logging initiative in the area. The building stands as a tangible reminder of the pivotal role the Comox Logging and Railway Company played in Ladysmith and as a symbol of the post-mining economy. The structure is substantially intact.

Built in 1943, the Comox Logging and Railway Shops Building is an excellent example of a vernacular, utilitarian building. Designed to accommodate the repair of both locomotives and trucks, the building is notable for its simple, functional form and sturdy construction.

The Comox Logging and Railway Shops Building is part of a grouping of historic buildings and objects that include a machine shop and other ancillary buildings and several oversize artifacts including a restored locomotive. Collectively, these buildings and objects provide an understanding of early industrial processes and opportunities for historic interpretation.

Source:
Development Services, Town of Ladysmith

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Comox Logging and Railway Shops Building include:
- all of the elements of a large, functional, industrial structure including the simple form, the large sliding doors that allowed the easy movement of trucks and locomotives into the building for repair, the large number of windows for natural light and ventilation, the corrugated tin cladding, and the overhead crane on the front elevation
- the building's location within a group of related historic buildings and objects