Mewata Armouries
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Mewata Armoury (also referred to as Mewata Armouries) is a Canadian Forces reserve armoury in Calgary, Alberta.
The building was built between 1915 and 1918 for an original cost of $282,051 Canadian dollars. The building was designed by T.W. Fuller (Department of Public Works Architect) and the project was supervised locally by Calgary architect Leo Dowler. The structure was actually built by A.G. Creelman Co. of Vancouver.
The building is located at 801 11th Street S.W. and is still home to local Militia units, chiefly the Calgary Highlanders, and The King's Own Calgary Regiment.
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[edit] Construction materials
The building has a cut stone foundation with a structure of red brick (common bond with steel reinforcement) and sandstone. The drill hall is significant for the large uninterrupted span of its steel trusses. A second story on the west side was added some time after original construction.
[edit] Architectural style
The building was designed in a Tudor/Gothic Revival style. A classic example of armoury design, Mewata has features deliberately bringing to mind a medieval fortress or castle, including four square corner towers, four smaller six sided towers, and buttresses with turrets and a crenellated roofline.
[edit] Original interior details
The original design featured a large central drill hall with 117 rooms (two storeys of soldiers quarters) arranged around its perimeter. The basement included bowling alleys and 30 yard shooting ranges. The facility also included officer's and sergeant's billiard rooms. Barracks have been altered in recent years to serve as offices and storage space. A catwalk around the drill hall has been enclosed on the north and south sides, as well as part of the east side, leaving a short "balcony" overlooking the parade square.
[edit] Rumours
A number of unconfirmed rumours surround the architecture of the building. One is that a swimming pool was filled in to accommodate a rifle range, another is that at the time of construction no doors were mounted on rooms off the main hall because of a lack of oak. Another popular (and untrue) story is that a Sherman tank drove onto the parade square after the Second World War and fell into a swimming pool located under the armoury floor, and was subsequently paved over.
[edit] Historical highlights
Mewata is a Cree word meaning "O Be Joyful".
Construction began September 24, 1915 and according to some sources was held up by lack of bricks. Two brick factories, one in Redcliffe and one in Montgomery were built for the specific purpose of providing the bricks to complete the project. The building was completed in 1917. During the Second World War, several wooden huts were built to accommodate the large number of Calgary soldiers mobilized for the First World War.
The armoury for a time was home to a Permanent Force squadron of Lord Strathcona's Horse, but is most commonly associated with the Militia units in Calgary. Over the years, several units have been based at Mewata including South Alberta Light Horse, 19th Alberta Dragoons, King's Own Calgary Regiment, the Calgary Highlanders, and 746 Communications Squadron.
During the First World War, Mewata was used served as an induction and training centre and a demobilization depot for returning soldiers.
In addition to military uses, other groups and organizations have always used the armoury including a military ball for the Prince of Wales in 1919, the scene of a verbal confrontation between William Aberhart and Major Douglas founder of Social Credit. The Calgary City Police and Calgary Fire Department have often used it for training purposes. In 1975 prior to the Grey Cup parade twenty marching bands were marshalled in the drill hall.
The building was declared a Provincial Historic Resource on 11 November 1979 and a National Historic Site on 11 May 1991, only the fourth building in Calgary to receive a national designation.[1]
[edit] Lodger units
The armoury is currently home to:
- The King's Own Calgary Regiment
- The Calgary Highlanders
- Regimental Pipes and Drums of The Calgary Highlanders
- Militia Training Detachment Calgary
- Various cadet units, including 2137 (The Calgary Highlanders) Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps and 604 "Moose" Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Cadets
[edit] Monuments
The Calgary Highlanders erected and dedicated a Regimental Monument in front of Mewata Armoury in 1998. The monument takes the form of a Universal Carrier, of the type used by the Regiment in the Second World War, painted in the markings of the 1st Battalion. A plaque dedicates the memorial to all soldiers of the regiment and its predecessors who have "Served Canada in War and Peace." Regimental Markings included a gold maple leaf on Royal Blue, indicating the 2nd Canadian Division, and a green square indicating the 5th Brigade, upon which was placed the Unit Sign "62" in white.
Lieutenant Brian S. King, CD, Curator of the Regimental Museum, received permission from 41 Canadian Brigade Group to place a vehicle in front of Mewata Armoury, after discussions in the Museum in 1997. This form of homage is common in other armouries and military bases across Canada. Lieutenant King sought out collectors in order to obtain an appropriate vehicle, and negotiations with the Canadian War Museum yielded this fully restored carrier, from the collection of Jack Guthrie, a notable Calgary vehicle collector. The concrete pad for the carrier was donated by BURNCO and the plaque purchased by the Regimental Funds Foundation through a grant from the Royal Alberta United Services Institute. The markings were researched and painted by Corporal Michael Dorosh, at that time a clerk with battalion headquarters. The plaque was unveiled by Second World War veterans Sergeant Clarence "Ken" Crockett, DCM and Lance Corporal Floyd Rourke, DCM.
A second monument was erected afterwards, with a Sherman tank in the markings of the King's Own Calgary Regiment atop a Bailey Bridge bearing a plaque dedicated to 33 Field Engineer Squadron.
[edit] References
- ^ Prairie Fire (Prairie Militia Area Training Bulletin) Oct. 1991 (Final Edition).
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