Key Number:	HS 24549
Site Name:	Prince of Wales Armouries
Other Names:
Site Type:	1405 - Military: Armoury or Drill Hall

Location

ATS Legal Description:

			Twp	Rge	Mer
			52	24	4

Address:	10440 - 108 Avenue NW
Number:	40
Street:	104 NW
Avenue:	108 NW
Other:
Town:	Edmonton
Near Town:

Media

Type	Number	Date	View
Digital scan of Negative Digital scan of Negative Digital scan of Negative Digital scan of Negative	79-R0471-19 79-R0471-20 79-R0471-21 79-R0471-22	1979/08/01 1979/08/01 1979/08/01 1979/08/01	SE SE corner detail S elevation keystone and entry detail S

Architectural

Style:	Gothic Revival
Plan Shape:	Rectangular
Storeys:	Storeys: 1
Foundation:	Basement/Foundation Wall Material: Stone
Superstructure:
Superstructure Cover:
Roof Structure:	Vaulted or Arched
Roof Cover:
Exterior Codes:	Wall Design and Detail: Crenellated Parapet Roof Trim - Eaves: Corbelled Cornice Towers, Steeples and Domes: Tower Window - Sill Type: Plain Slip Sill Window - Sill Material: Stone
Exterior:	Stone sill, towers in each corner, corbelled parapets, crenellated battlements. The towers at the four corners of the building are 2 storeys in height, whereas the drill hall is one storey. The roof of the drill hall is supported by a steel truss arch. Crenellated parapet with sandstone trim; side gable roof; corner turrets with brick corbelling; sandstone foundation; projecting entry with sandstone arch and flanking brick piers with sandstone balls; double hung wooden sash multipane windows, four over four; large metal sash windows in gable ends; name plaques 'DRILL HALL' at front and rear 'AD 1913' 'ARMOURIES' above main entry. Large, rectangular, with corner towers.
Interior:	Main hall; brick with a mastic floor, remaining floors lathed and plastered. Offices, storage areas surrounding central drill area.
Environment:	Neighbourhood: Central McDougall HBR Located on 6.89 hectares (17.03 acres).
Condition:	Structure: Good. Repair: Good.
Alterations:	Restored and reopened

Historical

Construction:	Construction Date:
Constructed started Constructed ended	1913/01/01 1915/01/01
Usage:	Usage Date:
Military/Armoury or Drill Hall Declared surplus by Dept. of Nat'l Defence	1915/01/01 1977/08/01
Owner:	Owner Date:
City of Edmonton Dept. of Nat'l Defence

Architect:	E.C. Hopkins
Builder:	Public Works
Craftsman:	N/A
History:	Built to serve infantry needs specifically and is one of two in Alberta built for this purpose. Played a central role in the administration of military affairs in northern Alberta. Used as a social centre for many activities in Edmonton until Jubilee Auditorium was built. During peace time was used primarily by the militia. Was intended to provide permanent facilities for long term training and administration of Canada's Armed Forces. Erected at a cost of $286,000. Built in 'Infantry Drill Hall' style. Declared surplus by the Federal Department of National Defence in 1977. Was used by the Commonwealth Games Foundation in 1978. ***** The construction of the 'Edmonton Drill Hall' was completed in 1915 under contract issued by the Federal Department of Public Works. The site had been purchased by the City of Edmonton for this purpose from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1912. The building's architect was E.C. Hopkins of Edmonton. During the first World War, the 51st Battalion and the 233rd French-Canadian Battalion were quartered here. The name of the building was changed to the Prince of Wales Armouries in 1921. The armouries has been the home of the 101st Edmonton Fusiliers and the Edmonton Regiment (which later became the Loyal Edmonton Regiment), as well as the International Order of Old Bastards and the Garrison Officers' Club. In 1977, the armouries was declared excess by the Department of National Defence. The building was transferred to the City of Edmonton in 1983. Restored and reopened in 1992, it houses the City of Edmonton Archives and local cultural organizations. * * * Constructed 1914-15, on property donated by City of Edmonton. Similar in design to Armories in Calgary (Mewata), Winnipeg (Minto), Victoria (Bay Street) and others across Canada. Home of many Edmonton Militia units especially 49th Regiment, Loyal Edmonton (3rd Batt., P.P.C.L.I.). Social centre for many activities in Edmonton until the construction of the Jubilee Auditorium, for any activities demanding a large amount of floor space. Though not completed in time for WWI, played an important military role in the inter-war years and in the Second World War. Messes for the Officers and Non-commissioned Officers Social centres for the community. Prince of Wales Armoury primarily involved with the Militia and not with the Regulars, except in War time. Armoury still acts as centre for a number of activities such as the Cadet Organization, Militia, Services oriented social organizations. * * * PRINCE OF WALES ARMORY (1915) Awaits New Lease on Life Battered by the vagaries of public policy, recession, depression, and advancing age, the Prince of Wales Armory still awaits a new lease on life. The armory was declared excess by the department of national defence in 1977 and was transferred to the public works department for disposal the following year. It was obtained by the City of Edmonton in a land swap for the city lands assembled for the Canada Place project. The armory was first known as the Edmonton Drill Hall and this name is inscribed in stone flanked by stone cannonballs over the front entrance. A number of regiments called it home, including the 101st Regiment, the Edmonton Regiment, the Loyal Edmonton Regiment and the Edmonton Fusiliers. Built in 1915, the armory cost $280,000. It was constructed of brick with a concrete foundation and steel structural work. Architects D.E. Ewart and E.C. Hopkins designed it in typical military style - a fortress-like design with a crenellated roof line and corner towers and turrets. The city described the 65,000-square-foot structure as a basic two-storey rectangular building organized on four sides around a central drill hall. The hall is covered by a longitudinal saddle-back roof supported by arched steel trusses. The building sits on a 17-acre site - one of the largest single parcels of underdeveloped land in the inner city. The armory has shooting galleries, armories and jail cells in the basement. Offices, lounges and storage rooms adjoin the driil hall on the main floor. An officers club on the second floor includes an elegant duning room. The armory was designated a Provincial Historic Resource in 1979.

Internal

Designation Status:	Designation Date:
Provincial Historic Resource Municipal Historic Resource	1979/01/31 2004/08/31

Register:	A14

Links

Internet:
Alberta Register of Historic Places: