Bay Street Armoury

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File:Bay Street Armoury, Canada 04.jpg

Bay Street Armoury is located at 715 Bay Street in Victoria, British Columbia.{{CRHP|14601|Bay Street Drill Hall|23 October 2011}}

The Bay Street Drill Hall was completed in 1915. It was created to provide training facilities for local militia units such as the Fifth Regiment of artillery, as well as to provide a home for two newly formed units, the 50th Gordon Highlanders of Canada and HQ Military District No. 11. The Armoury was designed by architect William Ridgway Wilson, (1863-1957).{{cite web |url=http://dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/architects/view/1191 |title=William Ridgway Wilson |publisher=Dictionary of architects in Canada |accessdate=14 Aug 2014 |archive-date=14 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814173950/http://dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/architects/view/1191 |url-status=dead }}

In its earlier years the armoury had more extensive use for public events as modern public facilities in Victoria had not yet been built.[http://www.timescolonist.com/islander/bay-street-armoury-marks-100th-anniversary-1.2116864 Bay Street Armoury marks 100th anniversary]

It was designated a historic building in 1989.{{cite web|url=http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=9694 |title=Bay Street Armoury |publisher=Parks Canada |accessdate=February 20, 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308131309/http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=9694 |archivedate=March 8, 2014 }} it is a two-storey drill hall with Tudor Revival elements, built during the 1896 to 1918 period when over 100 drill halls and armouries were erected across Canada; its scale reflects the dramatic increase in military participation following Canada's performance during the Second Boer War.