General Information
Type of Resource: Canadian Military Structure
Also Known As: Magazine Storage Bunkers
Civic Address: 933 Highway 37
Legal Property Description: Lot A of District Lot 1734, Range 5, Coast District, Plan BCP42044
Property Identifier: 019-198-370
Construction Date: circa 1943
Current Owner: Crown – Province of BC
Community Heritage Register: Resolution No. 100-2018
Designated Municipal Heritage Site: No designation
Historic Details
This historic place consists of two World War II-era storage bunkers located near the Northwest Regional Airport in Terrace, BC. Opened in 1943, the airport was constructed by the Department of National Defence contractor Carter-Halls-Aldinger Co. Ltd. of Winnipeg, as part of British Columbia's extensive coastal defence network against invasion by Japan. In November 1943, Royal Canadian Air Force Squadrons No. 135 and No. 149 were relocated from Annette Island in Alaska to Terrace.
The position of the bunkers near but removed from Terrace's airfield is important because it suggests they were originally used as ammunition stores. During wartime, Terrace became a significant army and air force base, with a secure and readily available supply of munitions required for the potential defence of the west coast.
Today
Similar to many World War II-era buildings in Terrace, the bunkers are valued as examples of properties adapted for new uses after the end of the war. The larger of the two was used to store a 200-bed emergency hospital, a mobile solution to replace a physical hospital destroyed by war or a natural disaster. Its cool interior later made it an ideal place for the BC Forest Service to store tree seedlings prior to their replanting in the region. Its current use is for the storage of various aircraft tires and parts.