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Butler's Barracks National Historic Site of Canada

Queen's Parade, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1962/05/15

General view of Butler's Barracks showing the spatial relationships between legible site resources, 1993.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, B. Morin, 1993.
General view
General view of Butler's Barracks showing the Gunshed in its rectangular, single-storey massing under low, hipped roof, and main façade with seven bays of double shed doors, 1993.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, B. Morin, 1993.
General view
General view of Butler's Barracks showing the Soldiers’ Barracks in its rectangular, two-storey massing under low, hipped roof, brick wall infill, and regularly placed, horizontally shaped windows, 1994.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, B. Morin, 1994.
General view

Other Name(s)

Butler's Barracks National Historic Site of Canada
Butler's Barracks
Casernes de Butler

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1814/01/01 to 1854/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2007/07/27

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

Butler’s Barracks is a historic military complex comprised of five wooden buildings located at the edge of the Commons behind the Fort George National Historic Site of Canada in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Heritage Value

Butler’s Barracks was declared a national historic site because its four remaining 19th-century military buildings :
- are essential and integral elements in the complex of military structures at the mouth of the Niagara River,
- played a role in the military history of the area.

The heritage value of Butler’s Barracks lies in the form, fabric and physical inter-relationships of the buildings, structures and remains associated with 19th and 20th-century military barracking and troop training. Built by the British after the War of 1812, it was occupied as a military camp until the 1960s.

Sources: HSMBC, Minutes, October 1963, May 1966.

Character-Defining Elements

Key features contributing to the heritage value of this site include:

- the found form and fabric of archaeological resources on the site relating to British occupation during the 1812-1871 period,
- the outline and remnants of the palisade,
- the footprints and fabric of the remains of other structures including the camp hospital, the fuel yard, military stores, barracks ranges, tent cities, and landscape features between Charlotte Street and Paradise Grove, and north from Paradise Grove to the Ramparts of Fort George,
- landscape features related to military use of the entire site, particularly the Commons, and Otter Trail,
- the spatial relationships between legible site resources,
- viewscapes between Butler’s Barracks and Fort George,
- the found form and fabric of the Gunshed, Soldiers’ Barracks, Commissariat Storehouse,
- Commissariat Officers’ Quarters, particularly in their timber-frame construction, stone foundations, functional, purpose-driven design, clapboard siding and wood shake roofs,
- the Gunshed in its rectangular, single-storey massing under low, hipped roof, and main façade with seven bays of double shed doors,
- the Soldiers’ Barracks in its rectangular, two-storey massing under low, hipped roof, brick wall infill, and regularly placed, horizontally shaped windows,
- the Commissariat Storehouse in its two-and-a-half-storey, rectangular massing under a pitched roof, end gable walls with central loading doors on three levels, and central chimney with three fireplaces,
- the Commissariat Officers’ Quarters in its domestic, cottage design, symmetrical, three-bay façade, low, front-sloping gable roof, and rear brick kitchen,
- the found form and fabric of the World War II temporary building, particularly in its single-storey, rectangular massing under a low pitched roof, its plywood and metal construction on a concrete pad, and its entry on an end wall.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Federal

Recognition Authority

Government of Canada

Recognition Statute

Historic Sites and Monuments Act

Recognition Type

National Historic Site of Canada

Recognition Date

1962/05/15

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

1939/01/01 to 1945/01/01
1814/01/01 to 1960/01/01

Theme - Category and Type

Governing Canada
Military and Defence

Function - Category and Type

Current

Leisure
Historic or Interpretive Site

Historic

Defence
Military Support
Defence
Military Defence Installation

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

National Historic Sites Directorate, Documentation Centre, 5th Floor, Room 89, 25 Eddy Street, Gatineau, Quebec

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

430

Status

Published

Related Places

Exterior photo

Gunshed

The Gunshed, situated at the Butler’s Barracks National Historic Site on the outskirts of Niagara-on-the-Lake, stands amongst park-like lawns and trees. The long, rectangular…

Façade

Men’s Two-Storey Barracks

The Men’s Two-Storey Barracks is situated at Butler’s Barracks National Historic Site of Canada on the outskirts of Niagara-on-the-Lake and stands amongst park-like lawns and…

Exterior photo

Commissariat Storehouse

The Commissariat Storehouse, situated at Butler’s Barracks National Historic Site on the outskirts of Niagara-on-the-Lake, stands amongst park-like lawns and trees. It is a…

Corner view

Junior Commissariat Officer’s Quarters

The Junior Commissariat Officer’s Quarters is situated at Butler’s Barracks National Historic Site of Canada on the outskirts of Niagara-on-the-Lake. The building stands amongst…

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