Key Number:	HS 9394
Site Name:	Hangar #6, Building #14
Other Names:
Site Type:	1003 - Transportation - Air Facility: Hangar

Location

ATS Legal Description:

			Twp	Rge	Mer
			52	24	4

Address:	11410 Kingsway Avenue NW
Number:	10
Street:	114 NW
Avenue:	Kingsway NW
Other:
Town:	Edmonton
Near Town:

Media

Type	Number	Date	View	Source

Architectural

Style:
Plan Shape:	Rectangular
Storeys:	Storeys: 1
Foundation:	Basement/Foundation Wall Material: Concrete
Superstructure:	Nailed Frame
Superstructure Cover:
Roof Structure:	Low Gable
Roof Cover:
Exterior Codes:
Exterior:	Low-pitch front gable roof; timber framing with cable bracing. Hangar 14 is designed on a rectangular plan of 6689 m; (72,000 sq. ft.) with a clear span of 34m. Described as a 'double-wide, double long' hangar, the aircraft storage area is evenly subdivided by a firewall and vertical columns which act as truss supports. It is a one storey structure with spaces for administration, storage, workshop and mechanical equipment with lean-to additions on the east and west elevations. It is a functional, well proportioned design with large horizontally folding doors on the north and south elevations to permit easy storage of large aircraft. The upper portion of the east and west elevations is punctuated with industrial style rectangular 36 pane wooden windows. The lower portion of the building, i.e. the lean-to additions, is punctuated with 6 over 6 single hung wood windows and 12 pane wood storm windows. Both the upper windows and lower windows possess glass panes with proportions with a 2:3 ratio. All of the windows and doors are well placed with a good balance between their area and wall around them. In order to shed water the roof is designed with a slope from the centre to the outside walls. Or the roof is subdivided into four quadrants which slope from the centre to the outside walls. This slope shows a slight slope from the centre to the corners of the building. The hangar is clad in cedar shingles and this creates a mild horizontal linear pattern along each elevation. On the interior of the storage area the framing and truss members are exposed offering a view of the geometric patterns of a well engineered building. The only discordant note in the design is the glass infill on the southeast quadrant. This infill is recent addition when the building was used as an automobile/truck dealership. At the present time the building exterior is painted with a white body colour and dark green windows and doors. Construction This industrial building is constructed on a system of built-up vertical wood posts supporting long Warren set an equidistance apart along the north/south axis. The Warren Trusses are reinforced with bays of double diagonal frames set equidistance apart along the east/west axis. This reinforcing is located in key bays on the south, central and north locations. The balance of the truss system is reinforced with a series of strong-back built-up beams running equidistance along the bottom chords, and a system of rods set diagonally in key bays at the south, central and north locations. The framework is clad on all elevations with a layer of diagonal sheathing building paper and cedar shingles on vertical 2 x 6 studs. The roof is layered in sheathing and an asphalt built-up system of building paper, bitumen and washed stone. The floor throughout the storage area is reinforce slab concrete. The lean-tos on the east and west elevation are constructed of a wood frame layered on the exterior with asphalt impregnated building paper and painted cedars shingles.
Interior:	The interior is painted a combination of light green and white. The interior is layered with either 'sheetrock' or modern gypsum drywall. The floors are tongue and groove strip wood on sleepers on concrete while the ceiling is layered with 'sheetrock' or gypsum drywall on the ceiling joists. A concrete block and gypsum drywall has been added onto the east face of the centre framework. This wall acts as a fire rated barrier against the spread of heat, smoke and flame.
Environment:	Neighbourhood: Edmonton Municipal Airport Part of Airport grouping. Large open-span. Landmark As a large Second World War wooden hangar located on the south end of a prime runway on the Edmonton Municipal Airport, it is a conspicuous structure within the context of the area or neighbourhood. The hangar is physical evidence of a type of building on the Municipal Airport site which reflects Canada's wartime Aviation experience. It is located in an area of other industrial structures some of which were constructed during that same era. Many of the buildings are modern construction and do not relate to the aviation industry. Nearby, in a south westerly direction, a drill hall, now called the HMCS Nonsuch, is located on the edge of personnel marriage quarters. New construction and Kingsway Avenue separate the link between this area and Hangar 14, but when considered in overview all this evidence suggests there was a larger military presence in this airport area. The hangar - in this location - offers a strong contribution to the military historical past.
Condition:	Good (1993) The building condition is very good. The paint on the shingles was crazed and peeling. Recently the building was powerwashed and spray painted. No extensive preparation was done and deteriorated paint layers are evident through the new layer of paint.
Alterations:	Replacement metal windows. Hangar 14 has undergone changes which are as follows. First: the building was originally clad in brick embossed asphalt siding. At some time in the history of the structures, the asphalt siding was removed and replaced with cedar shingles with were subsequently panted white. Second: As the use of the hangar changed the electrical system was altered by additional circuits to handle the increased demand. All of the systems are evident in the former aircraft storage area. Third: To meet a building code requirement, the former owners erected a firewall along the central north/south axis of the building. This firewall consists of cement block on the lower portion and rated gypsum drywall on the upper portion. The wall has 2 rated fire doors which provide passage for pedestrian and vehicles. Fourth: To meet other code requirements a sprinkler system was installed in all areas of the building. Fifth: A glass wall was installed in the hangar door opening on the south west corner. This served as a showroom area for the automotive dealership. Sixth: An amount of renovation has taken place in the rooms on the east and west elevation. The changes range form moving a single wall to moving walls and relining the interior with gypsum drywall, a textured ceiling, modern plywood panelling, new slab doors with hardware, new carpet or vinyl over the original wood floor, and new modern light fixtures. Seventh: Because the large upper windows were in an advanced state of deterioration they have been replaced recently with an aluminium and thermopane system which is subdivided into four areas in which vinyl muntin bars have been placed to give the appearance of the original.

Historical

Construction:	Construction Date:
Built	1940/01/01
Usage:	Usage Date:
Airplane Hangar
Owner:	Owner Date:
N/A

Architect:	N/A
Builder:	N/A
Craftsman:	N/A
History:	Used as a British Commonwealth Air Training Centre and Aircraft Maintenance Depot. was #6 Hangar. One of the last remaining (or the last) double-wide double-long hangars. Built for the Commonwealth Plan. The roof and superstructure of the hangar are constructed of heavy timbers. ******** The GMC hangar was built in the early 1940's as an air training facility for use during the Second World War. This hangar was one of many facilities built across Canada by the RCAF under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Blatchford Field (now the Municipal Airport) was selected for the location of an Air Observer School and Elementary Training School. The Air Observer School opened in this hangar in May 1940 under the direction of the famous Edmonton aviator Captain Wop May. The GMC hangar played a significant role as an air training facility for the duration of the war. In 1946, the hangar became the home of the 418 Squadron. This air squadron was one of the RCAF's top flight squadrons and was admired throughout the Commonwealth. In 1956, the Squadron moved to RCAF Station Namao where it has remained for the last 35 years. From 1962 to 1983, Western GMC rented the hangar for use as a car and truck dealership. It has since been used occasionally as a car sales lot. The GMC hangar is a wood frame building and was constructed according to a standard wartime hangar design. The architecture is not considered significant since more sophisticated hangar designs in other countries used a combination of steel, reinforced concrete and masonry. Due to the restraint in the use of steel in Canada for purposes outside of the war effort, wood was the preferred material. The GMC hangar served its purpose well and has had minimal alteration. It is believed that at least one hundred hangars of the same design still survive across the country. * * * The building is heated by a large forced air system which supplies heat to a distribution system under the concrete floor to outlets along the wall. There are seven major electrical systems servicing the power needs which existed when the building was used as an automotive service centre and dealership. Within the lean-to structures there is a plumbing system servicing W.C.s and kitchenette sinks. A new fire sprinkler system was installed to provide fire protection to the building. Comments The fact that this industrial style of building was constructed of wood during a time of steel shortage is significant. The Department of National Defence used an inexpensive, readily available, traditional Canadian building material to meet the demands of the war effort. When this hangar was constructed, wood as a construction material was going through a transition from the traditional timber frame methods to the modern glue laminated members we see today. The use of wood in this hangar is doubly significant in that it housed Mosquito bombers which were plywood sime-monocoque construction. Regarding aesthetics of this kind of building it can be said that there is a certain beauty and sense of mass imparted by wood which is valued. The beauty of the wood truss system echoes that of a well designed wood bridge. And as an all wood building it provides a link, in a modern city like Edmonton, to the wood building traditions of Canada.

Internal

Designation Status:	Designation Date:
Provincial Historic Resource Municipal Historic Resource	2000/07/04 2004/08/31

Register:	B60

Links

Internet:
Alberta Register of Historic Places:	4665-0774