Recognized Federal Heritage Building
Building D175
Esquimalt, British Columbia
Also known as Drydock Pumphouse, Station de pompage de cale sèche, Dockyard D175
Exterior view of Dry Dock Pumphouse, Building D175, showing the building's form and massing.
Photo: (BCARS, HP352)
- Built
- 1885
- Recognized
- 1991
- By
- Government of Canada
The register’s text, word for word
Description
Building D175 is a classically inspired one-storey, sandstone and concrete block building consisting of three attached gabled units arranged in a linear fashion, with a prominent masonry chimney rising from the central unit. The building features quoined corners, a widened rusticated stone base, and end windows and doors with rounded arches and keystones. Building D175 is located on the western apron of the drydock, within the Dockyard at CFB Esquimalt. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.
Heritage value
Building D175 is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.
Historical value:
Building D175 is associated with Imperial west-coast naval defence and the development of west-coast merchant shipping. The construction of the drydock and Building D175 was a priority of the Admiralty and the Dominion government, resulting in the expansion of the role of the Imperial naval base at Esquimalt from one of a minor supply post to that of a supply, repair and provisioning depot. Building D175 was built to provide essential pumping services for the drydock, effectively ending the reliance of the Royal Navy on drydock facilities in San Fransisco. The pumphouse is also associated with Canadian defence operations beginning prior to World War II.
Architectural value:
Building D175 is a very good example of a pumphouse as a building type. The building's form and massing reflects the three original and distinct mechanical functions housed in the pumphouse, that is, the former engine house (western unit), the former boiler room (center unit), and the former caisson moving machinery (eastern unit). Constructed of good quality materials and craftsmanship, the building's scale, massing, fenestration pattern, detailing and exterior textures are classically inspired and are consistent with utilitarian and industrial buildings of the period.
Environmental value:
Building D175 is the only permanent building standing on the western apron of the drydock and is an integral part of the drydock system. The building's industrial appearance, in particular its form and massing, and its close proximity to the drydock reinforces the utilitarian character of the drydock system.
Sources:
Ian Doull, Dockyard, CFB Esquimalt (82 Buildings), Esquimalt, British Columbia. Federal
Heritage Buildings Review Office Report 89-202.
Building D175 (Drydock Pumphouse), CFB Esquimalt, Esquimalt, British Columbia. Heritage Character Statement 89-202.
Character‑defining elements
The following character-defining elements of Building D175 should be respected, for example:
Its role as an illustration of Imperial west coast naval defence and the development of west-coast merchant shipping is reflected in:
-the building's form and massing which reflects the three original and distinct mechanical functions housed in the pumphouse and its location directly beside the drydock where it is an integral part of the drydock system.
Its classically inspired, functional industrial architecture and quality materials and craftsmanship as manifested in:
-the symmetrical and linear arrangement of the three attached gable units of the building which also reflects the three original and distinct mechanical functions of the pumphouse including the engine house, the boiler room and the caisson moving machinery;
-the tall, prominent chimney stack rising from the central unit and marking the location of the drydock; and,
-the classically inspired details and textured exterior surfaces such as the rounded arches with keystones at the end windows and doors, the flat arches with rusticated stone sills and lintels at the side windows, the corner quoins, and the building's wide rusticated sandstone base.
The manner in which the building reinforces the utilitarian character of the setting as evidenced in:
-its industrial appearance, in particular its form and massing, as well as its close proximity to the drydock; and,
-its visual prominence owing to the tall chimney that signals the location of the drydock
End of the register’s text
Location
Esquimalt, British Columbia, Canada
48.43000° N, 123.43500° W
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From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.