75 years forth and the Seaforth Armoury still commands its whitewashed and castellated presence at the south end of the Burrard Street Bridge - a protective fort and comfort zone for The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, a Primary Reserve Infantry which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year...
It is a building that I have been curious about but never had the urge to go right up to and really train my savage eye upon until this sunny weekday morning when I was nearby and had the time [and courage!] to approach...
There was a recruiting board set up outside the large front and side entrance doors and as I rode up on my bike to peek through the grated side door window, the door opened and a friendly reservist* welcomed me in...
He was kind enough to give me a tour of the great hall and adjoining rooms and let me take some pictures...
I am always excited to be in an older building with its original interior still intact and retaining the atmosphere from another era...
The Seaforth Armoury was designed by the long-standing architectural partnership of John McCarter and George Nairne, [who had also built the downtown art deco landmark Marine Building in 1930 and who would eventually erect the modernist General Post Office building on Georgia Street in the 1950's], with the completion date in 1936 [the Armoury is now listed as a Class A Heritage Building]...
within the sparse gymnasium room hangs a lone black punching bag, almost poignant in its symbolic and literal stoic-ness, while the silhouette of an armed soldier lurks above...
[I was told that the recruitment age is from 16 to 55... - so I still have "lots" of time to think about it!]
*Thank you to Michael the Reservist for his time and generous info session.
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