CNHS - Cable Building - Bay Roberts, Newfoundland and Labrador - Canadian National Historic Sites on Waymarking.com

Western Union Cable Building has historic value due to its association with the Western Union Cable Company. It was built in 1913 as a cable relay station for telegraph cables between Sennen Cove, Cornwall, England and Coney Island, New York, USA. During World War II, 75% percent of all trans-Atlantic cable messages went through Western Union Cable Building. During this period it was heavily guarded during this period also because it housed a direct line between Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Western Union Cable Building is a good example of an early 20th century commercial building with Classical Revival elements. The exterior of the building employs a number of Classical elements including a triangular pediment over the main door and a symmetrical bay pattern on all facades of the building. The exterior brick of the building was imported from England, which is indicative of the affluence of the Western Union Cable Company. The transom window over the main door is typical of commercial buildings of this era. Other architectural features of Western Union Cable Building that contribute to the aesthetic value of the building include the dormer windows and the vaulted poured concrete roof of the building.

Western Union Cable Building has cultural value as it represents a period of early technological advancements in telecommunications. Beyond its technological contributions, the Western Union Cable Company played a significant social and economic role in the community of Bay Roberts.

The building is now home to Town of Bay Roberts Town Hall,
Christopher Pratt Art Gallery, The Road to Yesterday Museum and Heritage Society Archives.

The CNHS plaque reads:

The Cable Building is a strong corporate symbol of the Western Union Telegraph Company, which dominated the transatlantic telegraph industry from 1912 to the 1960s. A pivotal relay point in a vast network, this building introduced to Newfoundland a new type of telegraph station that was more functional and highly specialized in its layout than its predecessors. Protected during both world wars and the Cold War, this leading example of telegraph technologies played a vital part in these conflicts. Western Union and the building it erected here had a large impact on the social and economic life of this community.

Le lieu historique national du Canada de l'Édifice-du-Câble est un témoin du développement de l’industrie télégraphique à Terre-Neuve et au Canada au XXe siècle. Située sur la rue Water, dans la communauté de Bay Roberts, à Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador, la structure de style néoclassique en béton et en acier, revêtue de briques rouge et beige, se compose d'un volume rectangulaire simple, à deux étages, auquel un agrandissement latéral a été ajouté, en conformité avec le style initial. Les espaces intérieurs ouverts et spacieux étaient conçus pour héberger la station de relais télégraphique. De nos jours, le rez-de-chaussée abrite l'hôtel de ville, et l’étage, le musée Road to Yesterday ainsi que la galerie d'art Christopher Pratt. La désignation officielle fait référence au bâtiment délimité par ses fondations.

Classification: National Historic Site Province or Territory: Newfoundland & Labrador Location - City name/Town name: Bay Roberts Link to Parks Canada entry (must be on www.pc.gc.ca): [Web Link] Link to HistoricPlaces.ca: [Web Link]

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