Other Name(s)
Building P-148 (School)
Alexander Dunn Public School
École publique Alexander Dunn
Links and documents
Construction Date(s)
1952/01/01
Listed on the Canadian Register:
2008/06/27
Statement of Significance
Description of Historic Place
The Building P-148 (School), also known as the Alexander Dunn Public School is located at the heart of a residential subdivision at the edge of a military base. It is a low, flat-roofed building of steel-framed construction. The walls are clad in red brick and have large multi-pane windows. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.
Heritage Value
The Building P-148 (School) is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental value.
Historical Value
The Building P-148 (School) at the Canadian Forces Base Borden (C.F.B.) is associated with the introduction of family accommodation and services in support of a new conception of the military career. More specifically, the building is associated with the social transformation of military services after 1945. Named for the first Canadian-born winner of the Victoria Cross (in the Crimean War), the school is integral to the neighbourhoods at the eastern edge of C.F.B Borden.
Architectural Value
The Building P-148 (School) is a good example of a standard neighbourhood school design, constructed in phases to a standard Royal Canadian Air Force school plan. Characterized by its informal horizontal massing, rectilinear plan and palette of materials, the building is a low-slung late modernist hybrid of asymmetrically ordered simplicity. As such, it is characteristic of school architecture in the suburban baby-boom period of the 1950s, which emphasized natural light and airflow as well as areas for outdoor recreation.
Environmental Value
The Building P-148 (School) is compatible with the present character of its residential military neighbourhood setting at C.F.B. Borden and is a well known building.
Sources: Canadian Forces Base Borden, Ontario, Federal Heritage Building Review Office Building Report (SCR) 94-088; Alexander Dunn Public School, P-148, Canadian Forces Base Borden, Ontario, Heritage Character Statement, 94-088.
Character-Defining Elements
The following character-defining elements of the Building P-148 (School) should be respected.
Its modern style and functionalism, for example:
-the overall asymmetry of the plan and the informal horizontal massing of the building;
-the functional elevations, reflecting by their relative locations and window arrangements the building’s program and activities;
-the rectilinear arrangements of the floor plan developed from a standardized understanding of school architecture;
-the consistent, simplified and robust palette of materials and block forms.
The manner in which the Building P-148 (School) is compatible with its residential military neighbourhood setting at Canadian Forces Base Borden and is a well-known building, as evidenced by:
-its overall design, orientation, and recreational landscape which contributes to the essential character of the neighbourhood as a whole;
-its visibility and familiarity vis-à-vis its large scale and location as well as its public use as a school for the neighbourhood.
Recognition
Jurisdiction
Federal
Recognition Authority
Government of Canada
Recognition Statute
Treasury Board Heritage Buildings Policy
Recognition Type
Recognized Federal Heritage Building
Recognition Date
1995/04/11
Historical Information
Significant Date(s)
n/a
Theme - Category and Type
Function - Category and Type
Current
Historic
- Defence
- Military Support
Architect / Designer
Barrot, Marshall, Montgomery and Merret
Builder
n/a
Additional Information
Location of Supporting Documentation
National Historic Sites Directorate, Documentation Centre, 5th Floor, Room 89, 25 Eddy Street, Gatineau, Quebec
Cross-Reference to Collection
Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier
10140
Status
Published
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