Salaberry Armoury
Posted by: 
Babushka_Qc
N 45° 25.455 W 075° 43.994
18T E 442638 N 5030342
Le manège militaire de Salaberry - Régiment de Hull
Waymark Code: WMA7ED
Location: Québec, Canada
Date Posted: 11/27/2010
Views: 21
Salaberry Armoury was built in 1938-39 by the federal Department of Public Works according to plans and specifications drawn up by Hull architect Lucien Sarra-Bournet. It was built within the space of six months and cost a quarter of a million dollars.
The Armoury had its origins in difficult circumstances. The general disinterest in "the military" during the interwar period and the depression of the 1930s weighed heavily against projects of this type. Those who had been campaigning since 1923 for a building for Le Régiment de Hull found every door slammed in their face. Two factors nonetheless rekindled their hopes: the Public Works Construction Act of 1934 and the 1936 reorganization of the Militia.
The 1934 Act helped to build many armouries ... elsewhere. But the wheels began to turn and, after the 1936 reorganization, leading military, civilian and political figures finally became interested. In 1937, Parliament voted the first subsidies for the construction of an Armoury in Hull. The Department of Public Works purchased a 25-acre lot at the corner of Taché and St-Joseph Boulevards from Lieutenant-Colonel W.F. Hadley, the Regiment's former Commanding Officer and one its founding members. Only 10 acres remain today of this lot, the remainder having been deeded to the City of Hull for a park.
The ceremony of laying and blessing the foundation stone took place on 21 July 1938. The Governor General of Canada, Lord Tweedsmuir, officially inaugurated Salaberry Armoury at a splendid ceremony on 28 January 1939.
The Armoury was named in memory of Colonel Charles Michel de Salaberry, a hero of the war of 1812. A native of Beauport, near Quebec City, he enlisted in the British Army in 1792 at the age of 14, and returned to Canada after several overseas postings. In 1812, he was asked to raise a regiment of Canadian volunteers, Les Voltigeurs Canadiens, to fight the Americans. The following year, he confronted the Americans threatening Montreal. Colonel de Salaberry, at the head of some 300 Voltigeurs and Canadian and Indian volunteers, repulsed several thousand American troops. His brilliant victory was celebrated as far away as London. After the war, Michel de Salaberry sat in the National Assembly until his death in 1829. Today, a portrait of Colonel de Salaberry, signed by Adam Sherry Scott, graces the entrance to the mess that bears his name.
The Armoury is built of chamfered brown bricks embellished with dressed stone. It measures 260 feet of frontage by 155 feet deep. The main entrance is in a carriage entrance, in the centre of the longest façade. There are four floors on the west wing under a hip roof. With its pointed towers flanking the carriage entrance, surmounted by the regimental shield sculpted in stone, the building is reminiscent of medieval European castles. The windows on all the building's facades are also decorated with stone.
The interior design provides a logical separation of functions reflecting the various aspects of regimental life. A 200 x 100 foot drill hall, overlooked by observation galleries, occupies the majority of the ground floor. The remainder is devoted to operational requirements and related administrative functions. The upper floors contain further administrative offices, the messes, separated by a common ballroom and, under the eaves, numerous classrooms and a gymnasium. The layout works so well that virtually no changes have been made for the past 50 years.
Both the location and the majestic appearance of the Armoury have made it a well-known point of interest for residents of the region. The building is accordingly often used for commercial shows, sports events and social evenings. Salaberry Armoury is thus a centre of civilian and military activities and the symbol of the aspirations of its citizens-soldiers, while meeting their needs.
Era: WW II
Related web site: [Web Link]
General Comments: Not listed
|