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Building P-148 (School)

Essa, Ontario, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1995/04/11

Corner view of Building P-148 (School), showing the rectilinear arrangements of the floor plan, 1992.; Department of National Defence / Ministère de la Défense nationale, 1992.
General View
View of the main entrance to Building P-148 (School), 1992.; Department of National Defence / Ministère de la Défense nationale, 1992.
General View
Front elevation of Building P-148 (School), showing the main façade of the building and the front driveway, 1992.; Department of National Defence / Ministère de la Défense nationale, 1992.
Façade

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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