On February 1st, 1902, the “Municipal Corporation of the village of Kemptville” purchased seventeen acres of land from Elijah Bottum (“unmarried farmer of the village of Kemptville”) lying in Lot Twenty-six in the Third Concession of Oxford. These lands would form part of what would later become Riverside Park. The transaction was authorized by Kemptville By-law 331, which was passed on October 15th, 1901.

The Village subsequently conveyed part of this landholding to “His Majesty King George the Fifth in the Right of the Government of Canada” on February 20th, 1920. The size of this parcel was nine-thousand, six-hundred and twenty-one square feet (9621 sq. ft.), or 0.22 of an acre. The day after this conveyance (February 21st, 1920), a Memorandum of Agreement between the same parties was registered on title, setting out the rights and responsibilities of the Village and the Federal Government. The land had been sold to the Crown:

“... for the purpose of erecting thereon a Drill Hall at an expense not less than seven thousand dollars ($7,000) for Militia purposes and requirements....[And the Crown] has caused to be erected thereon a building suitable for the purposes aforesaid, and of a size, appearance and architecture fully in accordance with their agreement in that respect.”

The tone of this and other clauses in the Agreement seem to indicate that the Drill Hall had already been constructed on the property, and that there was an earlier agreement between the parties. This latter point is reinforced in the preamble to the Memorandum of Agreement which states:

“Whereas by an unexecuted agreement entered into by the said Party of the First Part [the Village] with the said Party of the Second Part [the Crown], the said Party of the First Part agreed to convey that certain parcel of land....”

It would appear that this earlier “unexecuted agreement” between the parties may have contained more details about the actual construction and architecture of the new Drill Hall. However, no copy of a prior agreement has been found to date.

The registered Memorandum of Agreement contained further provisions concerning the use of the lands. The Village had further agreed to convey to the Crown “the privilege of entering upon and occupying those lands immediately adjacent to the said Drill Hall for drill purposes at such times as the said lands may be available, which lands are more generally known as Riverside Park....” However, access to the Park for drill purposes was “...subject to the right of the Oxford Township Agricultural Society to use and occupy said Park according to the terms of an Agreement entered into by the Corporation of the Village of Kemptville and the Oxford Township Agricultural Society dated the 21st ay of February, 1920, whereby the said Corporation granted to the said Society the right and privilege of using the said Riverside Park for the purpose of holding Exhibitions, Shows, or for such other purposes as is set out in the said Agreement.”

Should the Village decided at any time to “dispose of, sell, or convey the said Riverside Park that is would not be available for such military drill purposes, .... [then the Village] stipulated and agrees that it will reserve out of the said Riverside Park not less than one acre immediately adjacent to the Drill Hall for military purposes as aforesaid.”

The Drill Hall Agreement was binding on the parties for a period of twenty-one (21) years from the date of its execution, and subject only to the condition that if the “Drill Hall be destroyed by fire or otherwise, or should become deteriorated, or dismantled that it would not be suitable for the purposes aforesaid, or if it should be abandoned for a period of three years, or if it should be removed at the instance of the Party of the Second Part [the Crown] thereby avoiding the object and spirit of this Agreement, then this Agreement may be cancelled...” At the end of the twenty-one year term, if neither Party exercised their power of cancellation, the Agreement would continue in full force and effect until one of the Parties decided to terminate it by giving “one year’s previous notice in writing.”

The Memorandum of Agreement between the Village and the Crown was not registered until February, 1920, and makes reference to an earlier “unexected agreement.” As previously noted, the tone of the language in the registered Agreement indicates that the Drill Hall was constructed a few years earlier. This would explain the existence of the “Armory” building shown in that location on the May, 1917, Fire Insurance Plan of the Village; and since the building is shown on that Plan, it would indicate that it was constructed sometime prior to that date again. This scenario also makes sense from an historical point of view, since it would mean that the Armory / Drill Hall had been constructed during the First World War, and not after the hostilities had ended on November 11th, 1919 (i.e. three months prior to the execution of the Memorandum of Agreement).

This earlier date of construction is confirmed by an article in the Kemptville Advance of that era:

“The above fine building has recently been completed and was taken over by Capt. T. Ashmore Kidd on behalf of the Militia Department, The building is situated near the entrance of Riverside Park and is built of solid brick 92 feet, by 42 feet. It has three stories, basement, main floor and gallery. The basement contains a shooting gallery and furnaces; the main floor is cement and has sufficient space to drill two companies while an one thnd there are two armouries for the arms and accoutrements of the company. The gallery consists of balcony and three meeting rooms. The building is lighted with electricity and heated by hot air.”

The notes on the May 1917 Fire Insurance Plan states “WDWS ALL SIDES” (i.e. windows on all sided). The building also identified on the April, 1928, Fire Insurance Plan, with the notations “Armory, wdws all sides, no water service for stand pipes”.

One local history noted that, “the present fire hall was originally the Armouries. In the fall of 1919 the Kemptville Branch of the Great War Veterans Association was formed and they were allowed to hold their monthly meetings here. There was a firing range in the basement where the High School Cadets had rifle practice and the hall was sometimes used for dances also.”

The Fire Department records show that on June 13th, 1920, a fire occurred in the building, but there appears to have been little damage according to the report:

“June 13th at 3:15 a.m. fire alarm sounded, fire being in Armouries. Chemical engine and steamer responded, hose laid, 7 pails chemical used. Cause of fire unknown at present.”

However, in 1933 a more serious fire occurred which appears to have caused some more extensive damage to the building:

“Oct. 11/33 at 6:20 p.m. alarm was turned in by Geo. Patterson for Fire in Armouries. Truck responding first to Fire and doing valuable work in keeping fire in check until pumper got to work. 1,400 ft of hose being laid, Siamese attached and two 3⁄4 in. streams used in extinguishing blaze. Two firemen i.e. A. Turcotte, R. Seymour overcome by dense smoke that pervaded the building. Fire started in basement from defective wiring (cause determined by Engine [?] Major Lyons from Kingston). Loss estimated at $1,500 to $2,000. No insurance on Bldg. Insurance carried on property of Officers Mess $500. All Firemen responded to call except R. McCurdy. Apparatus returning to Fire Station at 7:45 p.m.”

A subsequent entry in the Fire Department’s Minute Book on April 26th, 1935, notes that the “Regular Meeting of the Fire Dept. held in Refurbished Armouries...” indicating that some repairs had been completed there, possibly to repair damage from the fire in 1933. An old post card from that early era still exists which shows a substantially different eave, cornice and parapet along the roof line then presently exists today. There is still physical evidence of fire on the existing roof structural members, and it I possible that the roof and eaves had to be replaces as a result of that fire.

The Drill Hall lands were eventually conveyed back to the Corporation of the Town of Kemptville from Her Majesty the Queen on June 5th, 1972, for the sum of six-thousand dollars ($6,000). A few years prior to that, the Kemptville Fire Department had moved into the building from its former location in the old Town Hall at 15 Water Street.

Architectural Significance:

This building is a two-storey administrative structure, which was designed and built as a military drill hall during the First World War, completed in 1914. It is rectangular in plan with a gable roof. It is built in a vernacular Regency Revival style, characterized by its restraint of detailing and its flattened, segmental- headed arch windows.

The building is constructed of structural brick laid in a stretcher bond pattern. The building is raised on a stepped brick plinth foundation. All facades are highlighted by engaged pilasters, which terminate at the corbeled brick frieze. The frieze on the gable-end facades has been modified from its original corbeled brick battlement-style parapet.

The windows heads are segmental arches with soldier-course brick voussoirs and concrete keystone and springer stones. The original large upper windows on the gable ends are divided vertically and separated into three sections horizontally consisting of a 12-light fixed central sash flanked by 6-light casement sidelights. The smaller windows in the lower portion of the rear gable-end consist of a 12- light reverse-awning sash flanked by 6-light casement sidelights. All windows have plain lug-type sills made of concrete. The lower storey window heads have flat arches with voussoirs consisting of soldier courses of brick with concrete keystones and springer stones. Both gable ends have a round “bull’s eye” window in the upper central portion of the façade, which have soldier course brick voussoirs and concrete keystones at the four cardinal points.

The long walls of the building have smaller, eight-light reverse-awning clerestory windows. These windows have plan lug-style concrete sills, but the flat-arch window heads have only soldier course brick voussoirs with no concrete keystones or springer stones.

The original front and side entrances also have flat arch heads with alternating voussoirs of soldier course brick and concrete keystones. The original entrance doors have been replaced at the side entrance. The front façade has been extensively altered by the installation of three large garage doors to accommodate fire engines. The roof, cornice and eaves are all later re-constructions, which were probably re-built as a result of damage caused by the fire in 1933.

Designation Restrictions:

The designation includes the form, scale and massing of the building, including the roof shape and includes the original exterior architectural elements of the building. The designation does not cover any of the modern exterior alterations or additions and does not include the interior of the building.