Description of Historic Place

The Servants’ Quarters, located along the west wall of Fort Langley is a one-and-a-half storey, rectangular structure. The building was erected with heavy timbers using the Red River frame construction method and is covered with a hipped roof. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Servants’ Quarters is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental value.

Historical Value
The Servants’ Quarters illustrates a clearly defined phase in the history of reconstruction within Parks Canada. The conservation approach taken at Fort Langley typifies Parks Canada’s approach to reconstruction in the late 1950s, which emphasized the educational role of historic sites.

Architectural Value
The Servants’ Quarters is a good example of a period reconstruction in its exterior representation of the simple, utilitarian form and design of the Fort’s typical early buildings. Its value resides in the features which contribute, by means of sympathetic form, volume and detailing, to recalling the original character of Fort Langley as interpreted by Parks Canada during the 1950s.

The Environmental Value
The Servants’ Quarters’ utilitarian form and design complement the sole, surviving structure of the Fort and the other reconstructed structures on the site. It reinforces the historic character of the Fort’s utilitarian arrangement of structures and landscapes.

Sources:
Kate MacFarlane, Four Buildings, Fort Langley National Historic Site, British Columbia, Federal Heritage Building Report, 96-114.

Servants’ Quarters, Fort Langley National Historic Site, Fort Langley, British Columbia, Heritage Character Statement, 96-114.

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements of the Servants’ Quarters should be respected, for example:

Its simple utilitarian form and design, for example:

-Its one-and-a-half storey, hipped roof, rectangular structure that is five bays in length and two bays in width.
-Its Red River frame construction with heavy timbers.
-Its window sash and panelled door design.
-Its formally arranged windows and elevated entry doors.
-Its whitewashed exterior.

The manner in which the Servants’ Quarters reinforces the historic character of the Fort as evidenced by:

-Its utilitarian form and design compatible with the other structures at the Fort.
-Its compatible relationship with the Forts’ historic arrangement of buildings and landscapes.