Recognized Federal Heritage Building
Building P-148 (School)
Essa, Ontario
Also known as Alexander Dunn Public School, École publique Alexander Dunn
Corner view of Building P-148 (School), showing the rectilinear arrangements of the floor plan, 1992.
Photo: Department of National Defence / Ministère de la Défense nationale, 1992.
- Built
- 1952
- Recognized
- 1995
- By
- Government of Canada
The register’s text, word for word
Description
The Building P-148 (School), also known as the Alexander Dunn Public School is located at the heart of a residential subdivision at the edge of a military base. It is a low, flat-roofed building of steel-framed construction. The walls are clad in red brick and have large multi-pane windows. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.
Heritage value
The Building P-148 (School) is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental value.
Historical Value
The Building P-148 (School) at the Canadian Forces Base Borden (C.F.B.) is associated with the introduction of family accommodation and services in support of a new conception of the military career. More specifically, the building is associated with the social transformation of military services after 1945. Named for the first Canadian-born winner of the Victoria Cross (in the Crimean War), the school is integral to the neighbourhoods at the eastern edge of C.F.B Borden.
Architectural Value
The Building P-148 (School) is a good example of a standard neighbourhood school design, constructed in phases to a standard Royal Canadian Air Force school plan. Characterized by its informal horizontal massing, rectilinear plan and palette of materials, the building is a low-slung late modernist hybrid of asymmetrically ordered simplicity. As such, it is characteristic of school architecture in the suburban baby-boom period of the 1950s, which emphasized natural light and airflow as well as areas for outdoor recreation.
Environmental Value
The Building P-148 (School) is compatible with the present character of its residential military neighbourhood setting at C.F.B. Borden and is a well known building.
SourceCanadian Forces Base Borden, Ontario, Federal Heritage Building Review Office Building Report (SCR) 94-088; Alexander Dunn Public School, P-148, Canadian Forces Base Borden, Ontario, Heritage Character Statement, 94-088.
Character‑defining elements
The following character-defining elements of the Building P-148 (School) should be respected.
Its modern style and functionalism, for example:
-the overall asymmetry of the plan and the informal horizontal massing of the building;
-the functional elevations, reflecting by their relative locations and window arrangements the building’s program and activities;
-the rectilinear arrangements of the floor plan developed from a standardized understanding of school architecture;
-the consistent, simplified and robust palette of materials and block forms.
The manner in which the Building P-148 (School) is compatible with its residential military neighbourhood setting at Canadian Forces Base Borden and is a well-known building, as evidenced by:
-its overall design, orientation, and recreational landscape which contributes to the essential character of the neighbourhood as a whole;
-its visibility and familiarity vis-à-vis its large scale and location as well as its public use as a school for the neighbourhood.
End of the register’s text
Location
Essa, Ontario, Canada
44.17077° N, 79.52595° W
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Nearby
All 9 places in Essa
Similar places
Places whose register descriptions are closest to this one.
From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.