Description of Historic Place

The Garage and Fire Hall, also known as Building 16, faces a large, open yard in a historic, non-operating, placer gold mining facility in the Klondike River valley. The building is a long, narrow, wood-frame structure clad with corrugated metal siding and topped by a gable roof. The building’s front gable has two pairs of large, double doors that open into an elongated rectangular space. A third set of double doors, located along the west elevation, opens into a smaller area. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Garage and Fire Hall is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value
The Garage and Fire Hall, as part of the Bear Creek complex, is associated with the corporate phase of the Yukon’s gold mining history. In 1931, it served as a dormitory. Its most recent function was a garage, before which it was a fire hall. As such, the building is also an example of the response to the need for fire protection and vehicle storage when the mining facility was undergoing renewal and expansion in the 1930s.

Architectural Value
The Garage and Fire Hall is valued for its good, simple aesthetic design. The functional nature of its design is evidenced in its rectangular form with large double doors in the front that open into an elongated space, and another set of double doors on the west elevation that open into a smaller area. The wood-frame construction exhibits good workmanship and the appropriate use of materials such as its metal cladding, interior shiplap sheathing, and the metal covered gable roof.

Environmental Value
The Garage and Fire Hall maintains an unchanged relationship to its site and reinforces the character of its industrial setting at the Bear Creek Compound (change to Bear Creek complex). The structure is familiar to those within the immediate area.

Sources: Joan Mattie, Bear Creek Industrial Complex, Bear Creek, Yukon Federal Heritage Building Review Office Building Report 89-008; Garage and Fire Hall (Building #16), Bear Creek Compound, Yukon, Heritage Character Statement, 89-008.

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements of the Garage and Fire Hall should be respected. the simple and functional nature of its design, and its overall good workmanship and appropriate use of materials; the features of its form, construction, and materials that unify it with the other buildings on the site, including its rectangular shape, its gable roof, its corrugated metal siding and roof covering, and its wood-frame structure; its three sets of double doors, and their relationship with the three vehicle bays in two separate sections, and its arrangement of windows; its interior shiplap sheathing; its comfortable relationship; due to its form, materials, detailing, and colour scheme; with the other structures and landscape features of the site, in particular the Garage and Storage Building (Building 15) to the east.

Heritage Character Statement

Disclaimer - The heritage character statement was developed by FHBRO to explain the reasons for the designation of a federal heritage building and what it is about the building that makes it significant (the heritage character). It is a key reference document for anyone involved in planning interventions to federal heritage buildings and is used by FHBRO in their review of interventions.

The Garage and Fire Hall (Building #16) was constructed before 1935 by the Yukon Consolidated Gold Corporation (YCGC). It is part of the Bear Creek industrial complex, a service facility for the YCGC gold mining operations. In 1931, it served as a dormitory. Its most recent function was a garage, and before this it was a fire hall. Alterations include the blocking of a large doorway and other openings at the rear, and the installation of a large double door on the west side. Operations at the Bear Creek complex ceased in 1966, and the property was acquired by Parks Canada, the present custodian, in 1975.

Reasons for designation

The Garage and Fire Hall is a 'Recognized' Federal Heritage Building because of its historical, architectural, and environmental values:

As part of the Bear Creek complex, the Garage and Fire Hall is associated with the corporate phase of Yukon's gold mining history. It is also an example of the response to the need for fire protection and vehicle storage when the facility was undergoing renewal and expansion in the 1930s.

The Garage and Fire Hall is simple and functional in design, and exhibits good workmanship and appropriate use of materials. Because of its original function as a dormitory, it is long and narrow in form. Its rectangular wood-frame structure is clad with corrugated metal siding and its gable roof is covered with metal. Its front gable has two pairs of large, double doors that open into an elongated rectangular space. A third set of double doors, located in the west elevation at the rear, opens into a smaller area. There are windows on the west elevation and there is exterior evidence of former openings on the rear gable elevation and near the rear of the east elevation. The interior walls are sheathed with shiplap boarding.

The Garage and Fire Hall reinforces the industrial character of this functionally obsolete but remarkably intact village-like mining service facility, with its 80 structures and several landscape features relating to large-scale mechanical placer mining. Like the site's other main buildings, it faces the large open yard. It is located on the north side adjacent to the main entry road, and opposite the cluster of trade buildings, and enjoys functional and visual links with the Garage and Storage Building (Building #15) to the east.

Character-defining elements

The following character-defining elements of the Garage and Fire Hall should be respected:
· The simple and functional nature of its design, and its overall good workmanship and appropriate use of
materials.
· The features of its form, construction, and materials that unify it with the other buildings on the site, including
its rectangular shape, its gable roof, its corrugated metal siding and roof covering, and its wood-frame
structure.
· Its three sets of double doors, and their relationship with the three vehicle bays in two separate sections, and
its arrangement of windows.
· Its interior shiplap sheathing.
· Its comfortable relationship ' due to its form, materials, detailing, and colour scheme ' with the other
structures and landscape features of the site, in particular the Garage and Storage Building (Building #15) to
the east.