Description of Historic Place

Grant Block is situated on sloping landscaped lawns adjacent to Hatley Castle. It is a three-storey, symmetrical, flat-roofed, concrete structure. Its striking white exterior has horizontal massing that is bisected by the slightly projecting central block housing the main entrance. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

Grant Block is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value:
Grant Block is a useful example of a building associated with the expansion of the Canadian Navy during the Second World War. The construction of the Grant Block increased the autonomy from Britain in the area of officer training.

Architectural Value:
Grant Block is a good example of a structure combining simple Art Deco massing and materials with Tudor and Gothic elements. Its use of the Deco style is exhibited through its symmetry, flat roof and use of reinforced concrete. The restrained Gothic decoration complements the adjacent Hatley Castle and preserves the clean lines of the Art Deco design.

Environmental Value:
Grant Block retains its formal relationship to Hatley Castle and its formal gardens. Sited on sloping, landscaped lawns immediately to the north of the castle, it is reached by a flight of stone steps. As a highly visible element in its own setting, Grant Block is a landmark on the college grounds.

Sources:
Kate MacFarlane, Grant Block, Building 24, Royal Roads Military College, Victoria, British Columbia. Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Report 99-030

Grant Block, Royal Roads Military College, Victoria, British Columbia.
British Columbia. Heritage Character Statement 99-030

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements of the Grant Block should be respected, for example:

Its Art Deco style design and good quality materials and craftsmanship, such as:
The flat-roofed, three-storey rectangular form and low massing. The symmetrically arranged façade, the projecting three-storey central block and the two-storey pavilions to the east and west sides of the building front. The main entrance with double doors and flanking windows, recessed under a segmental arch. The large oriel window above the entrance, and the three multi-paned windows above it on the third floor. The numerous mullioned windows, the regular placement of pilaster buttresses rising up to the third-storey, and the crenellation along the roofline. The small tower which projects from the top of the three-storey central block.

The manner in which the Grant Block reinforces the character of Hatley Castle and the formal park grounds as evidenced by:
The Grant Block’s restrained Gothic decoration, which complements the adjacent Hatley Castle. Its comparitive relationship to the grounds through its careful siting in the formal landscape.

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.

Grant Block was built in 1942 by the Royal Canadian Navy, to designs by the Vancouver firm of McCarter and Nairne, as a combined residence and educational facility for cadets. In 1985, an extension was added to the rear. The building, although no longer a residence, continues to function as the main centre for academic instruction at the college. The Department of National Defence is the custodial department. See FHBRO Building Report 89-82.

Reasons for Designation
Grant Block was designated Recognized because of its association with the expansion of the Canadian navy during the Second World War, its architectural design and its importance in its setting.

Between the two wars, naval officers were sent to England for training. The establishment of Grant Block as a training centre was a major step in the evolving autonomy and expansion of the Canadian Navy.

Grant Block was one of the first and largest structures built at Royal Roads. Its combination of stylized Tudor detailing with geometrical Art Deco massing represents the successful adaptation of a modern style to the architectural motif of the adjacent Hatley Castle. Set within Hatley Park, and overlooking the castle across landscaped lawns, Grant Block is a dominant influence in its surroundings.

Character Defining Elements
The heritage character of Grant Block resides in its architectural style, its massing and detailing, its use of materials, and its visual importance in its setting.

The designers of Grant Block combined simple Art Deco massing and materials - a three-storey, symmetrical, flat-roofed structure in reinforced concrete - with Gothic elements - mullioned and oriel windows, buttresses, crenellated roofline, and segmentally-arched main entrance. The restrained Gothic decoration, while complementing the nearby castle, preserves the clean lines typical of Art Deco design. The two-storey 1985 addition was handled sympathetically, both in terms of material and fenestration. The exterior building fabric should be regularly inspected and maintained. As both the purity of form and the Gothic detailing, including the mullioned windows, are essential to the heritage character of this building, they should be preserved.

While the interior has been modified over time - the third floor dormitories have been replaced by classrooms and offices - the mess hall, the kitchen and the ceremonial Quarter-deck hall, with its wood paneling, parquet floor and elegant staircase, are unchanged. These original interior elements should be protected.

Grant Block retains its formal relationship to Hatley Castle, sited on sloping, landscaped lawns immediately to the north of the castle, it is reached by a flight of stone steps. The relationship of the building to the castle and the surrounding grounds should be maintained. As a highly visible element in its setting, Grant Block is a landmark on the college grounds.