This proposal has been evaluated to ensure that the commemorative integrity of the site will not be impaired, that operational and interpretive needs will be met, and the building design will be compatible with the heritage character of the fort.
The design intent is to achieve buildings that are compatible with the heritage character of the fort. Three approaches to the design of these buildings have been considered - contemporary design, period reconstruction and an approach based on considered analysis and application of historical information and site precedent.
A clearly contemporary design was not selected because it was felt that it would not be possible to achieve the goal of compatibility and presentation program objectives with this approach. Three buildings designed in a strongly contemporary idiom would likely alter the heritage character of the site.
Period reconstruction was not selected because the criteria for this approach as laid out in policy cannot be met - there is not a specific commemorative objective to provide the visitor with an understanding of a defined period in the history of a site, it could not be considered as an opportunity to make a significant contribution to historical, scientific or technical knowledge, nor was there sufficient research information to support an accurate reconstruction.
The third approach, historical information/site precedent, has been selected. In developing designs under this approach building-specific information (historic sketches, surveys and archaeological research) will be used. Site-specific (the Storehouse) and comparative information (other HBC structures) will also guide the design.
The palisade, reconstructed in phases from 1957 to 1990 and approximately 3 metres in height, provides a strong sense of enclosure and delineates the perimeter of the long 2:1 rectangle which forms the interior of the fort. Constructed in hewn log Red River frame technique, the predominant material in the fort, the palisade contributes to the material character of the fort interior.
The buildings, some of them reconstructions of nearly 40 years, are arranged around the perimeter of the fort interior. Together with the palisade they define some of the historic volumes and spatial relationships of the original fort. Due to the loss of historic buildings, some spatial relationships within the perimeter form large gaps. The longest gap occurs along the east side south of and in line with the Storehouse. There is strong opinion that the irregular spatial relationships in this area detract from the character and understanding of Fort Langley.
The heritage value of the buildings and structures on the site resides primarily in their overall form, materials and construction systems and their role in helping to define the overall character of the site. One building, the Storehouse, is original to the site. The other buildings were reconstructed in the 1950's.
The heritage character of the Storehouse resides in its original location, form, materials and method of construction and in the expression of its functional role as a facility for storing goods and supplies. The building's value is reinforced by its relationship with the patterns of use and related development within the fort.
The Storehouse is a simple, small scale example of Red River frame construction design and detailing as used by the Hudson's Bay Company for its facilities. Its form and massing is based in the British Classical tradition resulting in an architectural vocabulary of strong, simple forms. Its construction features regular structural bays and formal and balanced elevations incorporating a limited range of materials and details.
The Storehouse is a simple, rectangular, 1 ½ storey structure of 4 regular bays long by 2 bays wide with an attic under a heavy timber frame hipped roofed structure. Features characterizing its Red River frame construction system include the typical heavy timber detailing and the technique of regular bays of squared upright logs and irregular horizontal in-fill logs. The building is constructed on stone piers near grade with a simple and direct means of access from the exterior. Windows and doors of various sizes are placed according to functional requirements utilizing traditional Red River framing construction practices and are painted. The building is whitewashed. The simple, multi-lighted casement windows and plank doors together with the utilitarian exterior shutters and hatches reinforce the utilitarian and functional nature of the building.
There are no applied interior finishes to the building other than whitewashing. Floor structures consist of hewn rafters and joists framed directly into the exterior walls and covered with plank floors.
The heritage value of the reconstructed buildings and structures on the site resides primarily in their role in helping to define the overall character of the site - their arrangement, based on site tradition, around the interior of the fort; their overall form; their construction system and their materials. The reconstructed buildings are valued by the community and are potential cultural resources in their own right.
Like the Storehouse, the form and massing of the Big House and Servants' Quarters are based in the British Classical tradition and despite some differences, have an architectural vocabulary of strong, simple forms. Their construction also features regular structural bays and formal and balanced elevations incorporating a limited range of materials and details.
The Big House is a large rectangular, 5 bay long by 3 bay wide, 2 storey building with formally arranged windows and doors and a whitewashed exterior. The Servants' Quarters is a rectangular, 5 bay long by 2 bay wide, 1 ½ storey structure with no exterior finishes. Its asymmetrical building elevation is reflective of the functional requirements of the interior. Both buildings are hipped-roof, hewn log structures built in traditional Red River frame construction modified in minor and subtle ways to meet the building requirements and design intent of the 1950's.
Building specific information includes the Mallandaine sketch of 1859. This drawing illustrates two of the proposed buildings together with the Big House. The McColl survey plan of 1862 which identifies the relative location and size of the former buildings on the site. Archaeological evidence relating to the traces of these three buildings. Building specific information is not equal for all three buildings. The following details of the proposed three new buildings can be determined from this information:
Operational Building:
Theatre Building:
Exhibits Building:
Site specific information includes the original Storehouse and historic photographs of the various buildings at the fort.
There is a large body of comparative information on Hudson's Bay Company design and construction practices. These practices were consistently applied at the Company's various sites across the country. For example, information is available from Fort St. James and other mid-19th century sites. It includes extant structures and historical documentation.
As the visitor approaches the new buildings, details will range from accurate period appearance to more clearly contemporary.
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: April 11, 1998