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Ottawa to build new Halifax armoury
No plans to tear down existing, historic site near Commons
http://thechronicleherald.ca/metro/1146474-ottawa-to-build-new-halifax-armoury
No plans to tear down existing, historic site near Commons
http://thechronicleherald.ca/metro/1146474-ottawa-to-build-new-halifax-armoury
OTTAWA — The Defence Department is building a new armoury in Halifax, but anyone worried about the fate of the historic existing armoury overlooking the Commons can breathe a sigh of relief.
The government has put out a tender looking for a company to design and build a new armoury at Willow Park, part of CFB Halifax off Windsor Street in the north end.
Construction is estimated to cost $38 million and the job is open for bidding for the next four weeks. The military says there is no timetable for having the armoury completed.
Armouries are mostly used to train reservists. Building a new one doesn’t mean the government is planning to tear down the existing armoury on North Park Street at Cunard.
Also known as the Halifax Drill Hall, the grand 78,500-square-foot building dates back to 1899 and is a National Historic Site.
“We don’t have any plans to get rid of the armoury or demolish it,” said army spokesman Mark Gough.
“We’re going to keep using it for, I can’t tell you what the end date will be, but for the foreseeable future.”
The government has recently sunk money into renovating the armoury.
But CFB Halifax has outgrown the armoury and there is a shortage of training space. To cope, the military has been leasing space.
The military plans to use both armouries once the new one is built. Gough said he didn’t know how many units would work out of the new building.
The Princess Louise Fusiliers, 36 Signals Regiment, 33 Medical Platoon and CFB Halifax Supply Detachment use the current armoury.
The first three groups are reserve units made up mostly of part-time soldiers. The Halifax Rifles Army Cadet Corps also uses the building.
The armoury is known for its red rock-faced stone exterior and Richardsonian Romanesque style. It was designed by Thomas Fuller, the chief architect at the Public Works Department at the time.
The building was declared a National Historic Site in 1989, in part because it is so much larger than other drill halls of its era. It was built to hold everything from lecture rooms to a bowling alley to an indoor shooting range, according to Parks Canada.