Building 16

Building 16 is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental value.

Historical Value

Building 16 strongly illustrates the role of Canada’s Experimental Farm System in agricultural research and experimentation from the late 19th century to the late 20th century. Nappan Experimental Farm, established in 1887, was one of five farms in the system. Building 16 was constructed in 1892 as a combined workshop and storage facility for crop research. Building 16 was used almost exclusively to support the development, cataloguing, storage and distribution of seed samples for Atlantic Canada.

Architectural Value

Building 16 is a good example of a 19th century barn designed to conceal its largely scientific function as a laboratory and storage area. Its steeply pitched gable roof, long eave line, low eaves, gable-roofed dormers, human scale, and connected functional units are all borrowed from the Quebec barn of the 18th and 19th centuries. The banked foundation, executed in concrete, with entrances on the main and basement levels reflects 19th century barn construction in Ontario and Nova Scotia. Its design conforms to the picturesque aesthetic chosen for all of the original farms of the Experimental Farm Branch of the federal Department of Agriculture.

Environmental Value

Building 16 is compatible with the present character of the agricultural farm setting at the Nappan Experimental Farm. It is a well-known building and dominates its visual landscape.