This ongoing series from Barrie Historical Archive curator Deb Exel shows old photos from the collection and one from the present day, as well as the story behind them.
The Barrie Armoury – 37 Parkside Drive
It was lumberman Archibald Thomson that provided the land for the very first military drill hall in Barrie. It was former Barrie mayor W.A. Boys that facilitated the building of the last one.
Archibald ‘Arch’ Thomson had a lumber business in Angus before purchasing an enormous parcel of land west of Bayfield Street and north of Elizabeth Street (now Dunlop Street West). Thomson, one of Barrie’s first families, was considered one of wealthiest and most important lumbermen during the period of 1860 to 1890. His home sat on the Wellington Street ridge, overlooking Ross Street and beyond.
In 1866, Lt. Col. Dennis of the Federal Ministry of Militia visited Barrie, scouting for a site to build a county battalion drill shed. St. Vincent Square in the east end of Barrie was selected, having the space for not only drills but also a fairground. But in 1867, Arch Thomson offered 6 acres of his property to the town. The alternate location or proposition must have been more appealing, as the wooden drill shed was built on Thomson land in 1868. The remainder of the acreage was intended for municipal purposes and would become Queen’s Park. Thomson would later provide land for the ‘new’ Royal Victoria Hospital on Ross Street.
That first wooden building burned in 1886 and a new drill hall was built on Mulcaster Street two years later. By the early 1900s however, the armoury on Mulcaster Street was considered inadequate for the needs of the regiment that used it, the Simcoe Foresters.
It was W.A. Boys, by then a Member of Parliament, who declared that $40,000 of government funding was available for a new armoury, if the Town could supply the site. According to local history book, ‘Beautiful Barrie’, ‘Construction began on the southwest corner of Queen’s Park in September 1914, a month after the declaration of war. Following some early delays, and not quite finished, Barrie’s new armoury was officially opened on November 7, 1915.’ At a cost of about $60,000, ‘some 500,000 local red bricks from William Freek’s brickyard and another 100,000 buff bricks from Milton were used in the construction.’
Standing like the fortress it is, the new drill hall dominated the historic Queen’s Park neighbourhood. Two intimidating towers flank the 3 arch entrance to this imposing structure. Impressive in its exterior, inside, the armoury is all function: drill hall, viewing galley, offices, classrooms, messes and quartermaster stores. Besides its continued use for military purposes, the Barrie armoury has been ‘headquarters’ for municipal , civic and social events for decades. The armoury is an iconic part of Barrie’s built heritage and a reminder of the long relationship of the military in our community.
The Barrie Armoury is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, as well as its architectural and environmental value. The building also a recipient of Heritage Barrie’s Heritage Award.
To add a small historical footnote, newspaper man Fred Grant was irritated with Town authorities that a monument acknowledging Arch Thomson, had never been placed at either Queen’s Park or the Royal Victoria Hospital.