Building O-102

Building O-102, also known as the Administration Building, sits atop a small rise overlooking the intersection of El Alamein and Cambrai roads at the Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Borden. This large, rectangular building is a stucco-clad structure with a central projecting entrance, flat roofs and slightly projecting eaves. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Building O-102 is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental value.

Historical Value

Building O-102 is associated with the massive construction and modernization program undertaken by the Department of National Defence (DND) at the end of the Second World War (1939-1945). More specifically, it is associated with the creation of permanent peacetime armed forces as well as the expansion and transformation of the military services to meet specific national commitments in the early years of the Cold War (1945-1957). Building O-102 was a forerunner of the postwar consolidation and expansion of the base to accommodate a wide variety of new functions.

Architectural Value

Building O-102 is a good example of a military building that combines architectural modernism and functionalism in a durable and economical form. Characterized by its horizontally emphasized massing, symmetrical plan and vertical emphasis of the entrance pavilion and stairtower, the overall effect is of an industrial office block in a hybrid style of asymmetrical modernist formalism and Prairie-style proportions. It was a project developed by DND staff as an exemplar for the new standards of improved accommodations that followed the Second World War.

Environmental Value

Building O-102 at CFB Borden is compatible with the present character of its military setting and is a well-known building at the base.

Sources: Canadian Forces Base Borden, Ontario, Federal Heritage Building Review Office Building Report (SCR), 94-088; Administration Building, Building O-102, Camp Borden, C.F.B. Borden, Ontario, Heritage Character Statement, 94-088.

The following character-defining elements of Building O-102 should be respected.

Its combination of architectural modernism and functionalism in a durable and economical form, for example:

- the general symmetrical plan and overall horizontally-emphasized massing of the building, reinforced by the wrap-around continuity of the window surrounds;

- the asymmetries and vertical contrasts of the projecting entrance pavilions and the stair tower and windows;

- the hybrid modernistic style, a combination of aspects of asymmetrical formalism and detailing with Prairie-style massing and proportions.

The manner in which building O-102 is compatible to the present character of its military setting and is a familiar building on the base, as evidenced by:

- its elevated siting, freestanding diagonal orientation, and park-like landscape frontage;

- its contrast of orientation and landscape to the adjacent building groups of the base plan;

- its visibility vis-à-vis its scale and elevated location at the base, as well as its association as the administrative centre which makes it a well-known landmark.