Description of Historic Place

The Staff House, also known as Building 14, faces a large, open yard in the Bear Creek Compound, a historic, non-operating, placer gold mining facility in the Klondike River valley. It consists of a one-storey log construction at the front of the building and a two-storey rear addition clad with wood siding. A small front verandah enhances the front elevation. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

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

Historical Value
The Staff House is associated with the corporate phase of Yukon’s gold mining history. It also illustrates the expansion and renewal of the facility in the 1930s, the residential development at the village-like, mining service facility, and the adaptation of older structures for new and expanded use.

Architectural Value
The Staff House possesses a good aesthetic design. The residential features such as the front verandah and front steps, in combination with the quality crafted log construction, enhance the building’s domestic appearance. The irregular, interior layout is evidence of the building’s adaptability to accommodate changing needs.

Environmental Value
The Staff House maintains an unchanged relationship to its site and reinforces the character of its village-like, industrial setting at the Bear Creek Compound. The structure is familiar to those within the area.

Sources: Joan Mattie, Bear Creek Industrial Compound, Bear Creek, Yukon, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office, Building Report 89-008; Staff House (Building 14), Bear Creek Compound, Yukon, Heritage Character Statement, 89-008.

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements of the Staff House 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 site’s other buildings, including the two-storey wood-frame addition, with its metal-covered gable roof and horizontal wood siding; the distinctive log construction of its front section, and its contrasting colour scheme; its residential features, including the front verandah and steps, and the arrangement and detailing of its windows and doors; 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 Stenographer’s House (Building 13) and the V.I.P. Guest House (Building 11).

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 Staff House (Building #14) is made up of a one-storey log structure constructed before 1936, and a wood-frame addition that resembles the 1959 section of the General Manager's Residence (Building # 20). It was built by the Yukon Consolidated Gold Corporation (YCGC) as part of the Bear Creek industrial complex, a service facility for the YCGC's gold mining operations. Operations at the Bear Creek complex ceased in 1966, and the property was acquired by Parks Canada, the present custodian, in 1975. The services of the Staff House have since been updated, and the building now accommodates historic site staff.

Reasons for designation

The Staff House is a 'Recognized' Federal Heritage Building because of its historical, architectural, and environmental values:

As part of the Bear Creek complex, the Staff House is associated with the corporate phase of Yukon's gold mining history. It also illustrates the expansion and renewal of the facility in the 1930s, the residential development at the village-like mining service facility, and the adaptation of older structures for new or expanded uses.

The Staff House is simple and functional in design, and exhibits good workmanship and appropriate use of materials. It is irregular in shape, with a one-storey log construction at the front of the building and a two-storey rear addition clad with horizontal wood siding. The roofs of both sections are metal. A small front verandah and the contrasting colour scheme of the dark brown logs and the white trim enhance the front elevation. The irregular interior layout confirms that modifications have been made to accommodate changing needs.

The Staff House reinforces the residential 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 at the north-east corner, and enjoys functional and visual links with the Stenographer's House (Building #13) and the V.I.P. Guest House (Building #11).


Character-defining elements

The following character-defining elements of the Staff House 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 site's other building, including the
two-storey wood-frame addition, with its metal-covered gable roof and horizontal wood siding.
· The distinctive log construction of its front section, and its contrasting colour scheme.
· Its residential features, including the front verandah and steps, and the arrangement and detailing of its
windows and doors.
· 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 Stenographer's House (Building #13) and the
V.I.P. Guest House (Building #11).