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Bennett Building, Currie Barracks
Calgary
Other Names:
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Bennett Building (B6), Currie Barracks
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Statement of Significance
Description of Historic Place
The Bennett Building [B6] is a three storey building in an H-shaped plan with a hollow clay tile encased steel-framed structure. The building consists of simple, symmetrical white stucco facades of regularly spaced, green painted metal windows and simplified classical details such as cornice returns and a continuous concrete frieze banding at the cornice line. The roof of the building is a cottage-style red stained shingle roof and consists of a hierarchy of gabled ends over the main building entries at the south wing and hipped ends at the north wing. The south wing of the building is also characterized by projecting entry pavilions and Romanesque arches at the entryways and windows. The north face of the building is flat, with no extending pavilions. Pathways with simple pipe railings occur at the setback area between the main façade of the building and the adjacent parade square, and at the side yards: they also provide access to and from the parade square. The building is situated on the north side of the parade square, adjacent to the Bessborough Building [B7] to the west and the Durie Block [B1] to the east.
Heritage Value
The Bennett Building is significant due to its association with Currie Barracks, the construction of which anchored the presence of permanent military forces in Calgary. The Bennett Building is further significant as one of the original buildings that formed the Currie Barracks Parade Square complex. Finally, the Bennett Building is also significant for its association with the largest public works program in Alberta during the Great Depression.
The construction of Currie Barracks represented a critical turning point in Alberta’s military history. The base was originally built to house the ‘B’ Squadron of the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadian) regiment, one of the few regiments perpetuated after World War One as part of Canada’s permanent active military forces. The decision to build Currie Barracks in Calgary thus reflected the government’s commitment to stationing permanent forces in Alberta and providing them with modern training facilities. The Bennett Building was built in 1935 as the primary mess and recreation hall for the non-commissioned members (NCMs) of the regiments stationed at Currie Barracks. As an essential component of the day-to-day operations of the base, the building thus strongly reflects the transition from voluntary to permanent military forces in Alberta. The structure’s ‘H’-shaped plan was highly functional, with the service core (consisting of the kitchen, butcher’s shop and storage area) was located on the ground floor in the centre of the ‘H’, maximizing access to the ground floor messes in the north and south wings. At the same time, the service core acted as a physical barrier ensuring the separation of rank, dividing the non-commissioned officers’ (NCOs’) mess in the south wing and the privates’ mess in the north wing. This hierarchical pattern was reinforced by the physical separation of recreation areas on the second floor. The NCO recreation area was in the south wing with screened balconies overlooking the Parade Square, completely isolated from the privates’ recreation area in the north wing. In 1971, the building was converted into a multi-purpose building, at various times serving as headquarters of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and the #1 Service Battalion. Overall, the Bennett Building was a crucially important social and cultural space for the NCMs, and its layout and design clearly illustrate the extent to which considerations of rank and authority were embedded in the day-to-day lives of the men.
The Bennett Building is further significant as part of the original Parade Square precinct. The Bennett, Bessborough and Athlone Buildings, with their common symmetrical massing, classical design and white facades frame the Parade Square and contributed to its formal and dignified atmosphere. This symmetry is reinforced by the buildings’ cohesive colour scheme, including the red stained shingle roofs, green painted window frames, and grey painted frieze banding, decorative plaques, entryways and bases. Mature trees and shrubs act as ‘gateway’ markers indicating the building’s entries when viewed from the Parade Square, and flank the access pathways at the building’s south edge. This formal landscaping contributes to defining the northern (and southern) edge of the square, acts as both a visual and acoustic buffer, and demarcates the locations of pedestrian circulation and access to the building(s). The Bennett Building is an essential component of the original Parade Square complex, which is the visual and ceremonial centre of Currie Barracks.
Finally, the Bennett Building is associated with the largest Depression-era public works program in Alberta. Currie Barracks financed through the Public Works Construction Act (1934) and provided much-needed jobs for hundreds of Albertans during the worst years of the Great Depression. Further, the use of locally-manufactured materials in the Bennett Building (and throughout Currie Barracks), as mandated by the Act, provided a stimulus for local industry. The decision to build the base in Calgary reflected in part the personal influence of Prime Minister Richard Bennett (whose home riding was Calgary West), but also signified a recognition of the growing status of Alberta as a full partner in Canadian Confederation.
Source: Alberta Culture and Tourism, Historic Resources Management Branch (File: Des 2322)
Character-Defining Elements
The character-defining elements of the Bennett Building include:
- the building’s large scale and symmetrical massing;
- the building’s H-shaped floorplan;
- sympathetic massing with the adjacent Parade Square buildings;
- the simplified classicism of the details such as the cornice returns, cornice and frieze banding, and Romanesque arches at the entranceways and windows;
- original windows and regular, repeating fenestration pattern;
- white, rough-faced stucco finish;
- hierarchy of symmetrical gable roofs indicating building entry areas and hipped roofs at wings;
- cottage style, red stained wood shingle roofing, green painted window trim, and grey painted frieze band, decorative frieze plaques and building base;
- north-facing balcony;
- pathways with simple metal pipe rails that provide a direct link between Parade Square and building entryways; and
- vegetation in the form of trees and shrubs that act as ‘gateway’ markers indicating building entryways and locations of access pathways to and from the Parade Square which serves to reinforce the ordered, symmetrical nature of the buildings.
Location
| Street Address: |
2509 Dieppe Avenue SW |
| Community: |
Calgary |
| Boundaries: |
Lot 2, Block 1, Plan 0914430 |
| Contributing Resources: |
Building
Landscape(s) or Landscape Feature(s)
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ATS Legal Description:
PBL Legal Description (Cadastral Reference):
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Plan |
Block |
Lot |
Parcel |
0914430
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1
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2
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Latitude/Longitude:
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Latitude |
Longitude |
CDT |
Datum Type |
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51.0193611 |
-114.1200305555 |
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WGS 84 |
UTM Reference:
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Northing |
Easting |
Zone |
CDT |
Datum Type |
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Recognition
| Recognition Authority: |
Province of Alberta |
| Designation Status: |
Provincial Historic Resource |
| Date of Designation: |
2016/07/20 |
Historical Information
| Built: |
1935 to 1935 |
| Period of Significance: |
1935 to 1997 |
| Theme(s): |
Governing Canada : Military and Defence
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| Historic Function(s): |
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| Current Function(s): |
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| Architect: |
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| Context: |
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Additional Information
| Object Number: |
4665-1386 |
| Designation File: |
DES 2322 |
| Related Listing(s): |
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| Heritage Survey File: |
HS 81938
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| Website Link: |
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| Data Source: |
Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, Historic Resources Management Branch, Old St. Stephen's College, 8820 - 112 Street, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P8 (File: Des. 2322) |
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