Description of Historic Place

The Office Building is set amongst a group of buildings located on St. Mary’s Island, which is bisected by the Sault Ste. Marie Canal. The sturdy, two-storey Second Empire style building has a mansard roof, a central pavilion, and regularly placed windows with stone surrounds. The main entrance has a decorative stone door surround and is accessed by a stone stairway. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

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

Historical Value
The Office Building is a good example of a building associated with the construction, commencing in 1889, and the operation of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal, and illustrates the theme of the development of Canada’s transportation network during the later 19th century. The first ship passed through the locks at the Sault in September 1895, and most of the canal buildings were completed by 1896. The complex of buildings illustrates the crucial years when Sault Ste. Marie was transformed from a small community into a modern industrial centre.

Architectural Value
Valued for its very good aesthetics, the Office Building is a late example of the Second Empire Style and has the mansard roof and central pavilion typical of that style. The handsome red sandstone construction and the sturdy appearance of the Office Building ensure that it still plays a prominent role within the complex of buildings associated with the Sault Ste. Marie Canal. Good functional design is displayed in the interior configuration. Very good craftsmanship and materials are evidenced in the exterior masonry.

Environmental Value
The Office Building maintains an unchanged relationship to its site, reinforces the historic character of its canal side setting at the Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site of Canada, and is a familiar local landmark.

Sources: Sally Coutts, Sault Ste. Marie Canal Buildings, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office, Building Report 85-007; Canal Buildings: Office Building, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Heritage Character Statement, 85-007.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Office Building should be respected.

Its very good aesthetic, good functional design and very good quality craftsmanship and materials, for example: the two-storey massing and the mansard roof with chimneys; the sandstone exterior walls laid in random courses; the placement of the windows and doors; the central pavilion with formal stone entrance; the limestone quoins and window and door surrounds; the interior configuration.

The manner in which the Office Building reinforces the historic character of its canal-side setting at the Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site of Canada and is a familiar local landmark, as evidenced by: its location on a simple, open site overlooking the canal; its overall scale, design and materials, which harmonize with the other buildings in the lock complex and its canal surroundings; its visibility, due to its prominent location adjacent to the canal that is used for recreational purposes, which makes it a local landmark.

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 Office Building was built in 1895-96 by J. and R. Miller, contractors from Ingersoll, Ontario to designs prepared by the Department of Railways and Canals signed by J.B. Spence, chief Draftsman. It was Recognized because of its very good aesthetic design, its very good craftsmanship and its reinforcing influence on the present character of the area.

HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS
Since the days of the fur trade, Canada's transportation system has operated on an east-west axis. The St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes provided Canada's original "highway" stretching from the Atlantic into the heart of the continent. Later, canals and railroads were built to improve communication and travel but the basic east-west axis was maintained. The development of the transportation network across the country is one of the dominant themes of Canadian history. Construction of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal did not begin until 1889. The first ship passed through the locks at the Sault in September 1895, and most of the canal buildings were completed by 1896. The complex of buildings illustrates the crucial years when Sault Ste. Marie was transformed from a small community into a modern industrial centre.

ARCHITECTURE
The Office Building is a late example of the Second empire Style and has the mansard roof and central pavilion typical of that style. The building is a two storey structure of red sandstone laid in random courses and has limestone quoins, window and door surrounds. Originally there was wrought iron creating around the roof and dormer windows in the mansard, but these features, also typical of the Second empire, have disappeared. The handsome stone construction and sturdy appearance of the Office Building ensure that it still plays a prominent role within the complex of buildings associated with the Sault Ste. Marie Canal.

ENVIRONMENT
The integrity of the relationship between the complex of buildings at the Sault Ste. Marie Canal and its associated landscape has remained virtually unchanged since the buildings were constructed. Located on St. Mary's Island, which the canal bisects, they are set apart from the town of Sault Ste. Marie. The landscaping and beautification of the site have always been a prime concern and, because of this, the canal grounds have long been a favoured public part for the inhabitants of Sault Ste. Marie. The present use of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal for recreational purposes contributes to the character of the shore line across the bay, just as its former use as a busy commercial canal complimented use of the shore as a centre of transportation.