The Impact of Designation on the Diefenbunker, Canada’s ...€¦ · Officers’ Lounge for use as...

Does Designation Work? Canadian Studies Heritage Conservation Programme Symposium. March 26th 2011,

Ottawa. Organised by the School of Canadian Studies Heritage Conservation Programme, Carleton University.

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The Impact of Designation on the Diefenbunker,

Canada’s Cold War Museum and National Historic Site of Canada

Douglas Beaton, Louise Fox and Connie Higginson-Murray, 2011

Introduction

“If something is too hard to do, it's not worth doing.

Just stick that guitar in the closet next to your

shortwave radio, your karate outfit and your unicycle,

and we'll go inside and watch TV.” That was Homer

Simpson’s advice to Bart about learning how to play

guitar.

Figure 1: Aerial View of Site

There wasn’t a Homer Simpson in the group that

founded the Diefenbunker, Canada’s Cold War

Museum (CCWM). Just as well. Establishing the

museum was hard to do. Simply acquiring the site

from the township that owned the land in the mid-

nineties was a major challenge. The township council

had ideas for the site and a museum was not high on

the list (Figure 1). Remember, this is pre-

amalgamation of the City of Ottawa and a local

authority governed Carp.

So where and how does cultural heritage designation

fit into and impact the forging of the museum? We’ll

have to loop back a couple of years now to put the

pieces in place.

National Historic Site Designation

In 1994, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of

Canada (the HSMBC or the “Board”) recommended

that the former Central Emergency Government

Headquarters site, aka “the Diefenbunker”, (later

known as Canadian Forces Station Carp) be

designated as a National Historic Site of Canada

(NHS). The National Historic Sites Directorate of

Parks Canada undertook the background historical

research that made this designation possible.

Figure 2: HSMBC Plaque at Site

(Approved by the HSMBC in May 1998)

Initially, when the site was designated, the

centrepiece building—the bunker itself—was intact

with furnishings and fixtures. Then unexpectedly, in

late 1994, the building was almost completely

stripped of its contents by its owners, the Department

of National Defence. This dramatic change in the

site’s profile had a domino effect.



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The NHS designation is essentially an honorary

commemoration conferred to a site in recognition of

its national historic significance. The designation

does not legally protect designated sites, and if a

site’s owner decides to make radical modifications,

the site can be at risk of losing its designation. In this

instance, although the Board did revisit the decision

around the site’s national historic significance, it was

decided that the initial determination would not be

rescinded. The text of the three HSMBC

deliberations, the English HSMBC plaque text and

the Statement of Commemorative Intent related to the

NHS designation are included in an Addendum at the

end of this paper.

Ironically, the fact that the Diefenbunker

Development Group took possession of what was

essentially an empty building also had a profound

impact on the design and management of Canada’s

Cold War Museum. Instead of managing what would

have been in effect a “historic house”, outfitted to a

specific time period with original artefacts, the

museum’s managers found themselves with an

intriguing building and 100,000 square feet of empty

space in which to interpret relevant spaces and mount

exhibitions.

It’s also worth noting here that the site was also

designated under the Ontario Heritage Act through

the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory

Committee (LACAC) and approved by City of

Ottawa’s Council in 2005. The LACAC

recommended that the HSMBC consider expanding

the area of their NHS designation to include the

entire former site, and in October 2006, the Board

clarified the extent of the NHS’s designated place to

include the entire former site. This paper focuses on

the HSMBC designation.

It’s hard to determine how much impact the

designation status has had on the formation and early

development of the Diefenbunker, CCWM, although

the designation was one of the ‘selling points’ that

the group later used to convince others of the site’s

historic significance and to increase credibility of its

enormous potential as a museum. Also, presentations

to the township council, like that of John Grenville, a

National Historic Sites senior manager with Parks

Canada, may also have had a positive impact on the

deliberations of the council:

“It (the bunker) was recognized as the

‘most important surviving Cold War site in

Canada.’ Parks Canada was requested to

work with the owners and to make “every

effort...to ensure that the facility...is

preserved, presented and made accessible to

the public.” It is because of the importance

of the site that we have been working with

the dedicated volunteers of the Development

Group to establish the site as the Cold War

Museum.

Parks Canada is prepared to assist the

Township of West Carleton and the

Diefenbunker Development Group in

whatever way its resources will permit in the

preservation of the bunker.” (John

Grenville, excerpt from his June 3rd

1997

address to the West Carleton Council

meeting.)

The Birth of Canada’s Cold War Museum

In 1998, the Diefenbunker Development Group

acquired the site from the Township of West

Carleton, and later that year, the Diefenbunker,

Canada’s Cold War Museum became an

incorporated, non-profit organization. For a couple of

years, the museum was managed successfully by a

small group of volunteers. A board of directors was

formed, regular tours were instituted, a collection

management process was begun, a few exhibits were

created, visitor programming was put in place, and

formal partnerships with well-established, like-

natured organizations were formed, one of which was

Parks Canada.

The NHS designation also led to access to

professional support from Parks Canada, which in

turn led to several meetings to building relationships

with Parks Canada staff. It speaks to the appeal of the

site that some volunteers from Parks Canada have

continued to be involved with the museum almost

since its establishment.



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Using the Commemorative Integrity

Statement as a Planning Tool

The NHS designation and its accompanying

commemorative documents and tools have come into

play in both high profile and subtle ways.

Commemorative integrity describes the health and

wholeness of a national historic site. The

Commemorative Integrity Statement (CIS) is an

elaboration of what is meant by commemorative

integrity for a particular national historic site, and it

provides the benchmark for planning, managing,

operating, reporting and taking remedial action.

These are a few examples of how the site’s CIS was

employed when modifications to the building were

being considered.

The Program and Exhibition Committee utilized the

CIS to determine if it was appropriate to modify the

Officers’ Lounge for use as an exhibition space, and

if so, to determine the extent and type of

modifications that would be acceptable. For example,

it was determined that while there was significant

historic value in the Officers’ Lounge as a whole, the

value did not lie in the paint colour on the walls

(except for the portion of the wall over the door’s

transom that had fire zone information painted on it,

which was preserved), nor did it lie in the type of

carpet on the floor or in the room’s lighting. Thus,

after the room was documented, it was re-painted, the

worn carpet removed and exhibition spotlights

installed after covering the original lights (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Requiem Exhibit

This type of decision-making, guided by the CIS, was

then incorporated throughout the entire building

where building modifications were required to

accommodate and incorporate museum related

activities.

Figure 4: Interior Walls

In 2001, a request from Paramount Studios to film a

portion of the Hollywood movie The Sum of All

Fears necessitated a similar review of other spaces in

the museum. Although some original doors and

signage were temporarily removed, the re-painting of

the walls was the central issue. After an assessment

using the CIS and careful documentation of the area,

as well as an analysis of the underlying and existing

wall paint layers undertaken by Parks Canada, certain

areas of the bunker’s main foyer and staircase walls

were re-painted for the movie (Figure 4). It was

decided that the paint and its existing scuff marks

were not of historic value since the military regularly

repainted this area and many of the scuff marks were

made primarily after the designated historic period.

The walls were re-painted to their previous colour

after the end of filming.

Even in the earliest planning stages of the museum,

every effort was made to minimize the impact of

building modifications when assigning key functional

operations of the museum. For example, the

establishment of a research centre that includes a

Cold War research library and an archive (Figure 5).

required the use of several rooms where historic

functions had occurred during the military occupancy

period. Freestanding bookshelves and storage



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cabinets were used to avoid damaging the original

fabric of the walls and floors. The original lights

were not changed, but rather were covered with ultra-

violet light filters, as is common in conservation

practices.

Figure 5: Archives at the Diefenbunker, CCWM

Like The Sum of All Fears, there have been other

exciting, revenue producing opportunities come

forward that required the same type of evaluation.

For example, a local radio station approached the

museum about renting the cafeteria space for an

Amanda Marshall concert. After the concert, the

possibility of enlarging the usable space for future

events led to a discussion concerning the removal of

a wall in the Officers’ Mess, which is a partitioned

space within the cafeteria. Again by consulting the

CIS, it was decided that the wall was of significant

historic value and should not be removed (Figure 6).

Figure 6: Officers’ Mess in Cafeteria

In 2009, the museum was approached to host a movie

screening associated with that year’s Genie Awards.

This involved the rental of the entire building with

provision for catering and theatre seating for 120

people. Again, the CIS was employed to determine

what spaces were appropriate for what uses.

Since the museum’s inception, the Guard House,

which is a small building exterior to the bunker itself

(Figure 7) but a vital component of the historic

complex, has been used as a registration and

orientation space for visitors. In order to make the

space more practical for this use, consideration was

given to removing a central wall in the Guard House

(Figure 8). By consulting the CIS it was determined

that the interior wall itself was not of intrinsic historic

value and thus it was removed and the central space

enlarged. At the same time, broken windows were

replaced with identical modern equivalents.

Figure 7: Guard House

Figure 8: Interior of Guard House with the wall

removed



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Perhaps the greatest challenge posed to museum staff

and volunteers to date is in planning and

implementing significant building modifications to

meet the City of Ottawa’s mandatory fire code

regulations, which has also allowed for a dramatic

increase in the maximum occupancy of the museum.

These modifications took approximately eight to ten

months to complete between 2009 and 2010. Every

decision and action taken was a balancing act

between retaining as much as possible of what was of

intrinsic historic value and original fabric while

ensuring visitor and staff safety, as well as the

security of the building itself and its valuable

contents.

Figure 9: The Drop-Down Fire Doors in the

Foyer, During Construction

One direct benefit that the Diefenbunker CCWM has

enjoyed as a result of being a NHS is having access

to Parks Canada funding related to the site’s national

historic significance, which in turn has helped to

leverage additional funding from other organizations.

For example, without the initial financial support

from Parks Canada, all of the building modifications

required to meet the fire code may not have been

possible within the relatively short time period

allocated for their completion.

Lastly, the CIS has proven to be a useful tool to help

determine what aspects of the site, which covers a

designation period from 1959 to 1994, should be re-

created, and, if so, to what era. Over the years, the

site morphed from a ‘secret’ location to a more

accessible military station that even allowed for a

family night visit. This relatively lengthy time span

and significant shift in use presents the museum with

certain interpretative and conservation challenges that

the CIS and the site’s Cultural Resource Management

policy help to clarify.

Figure 10: Exterior of Guard House,

Showing Flags

A small example, and yet a prominent one, is that the

site now sports a highly visible Canadian flag on a

pole outside the Guard House, an element only in

keeping with its latter years’ role as primarily a

military station. In the early Cold War years of

utmost secrecy, every effort was made to mask the

site’s existence from the outside world (Figure 10).

Visioning, creating and maintaining a museum within

a site of this size, with so many unique features and

functions, has required living in an ongoing state of

imagination and possibility while always remaining

governed by the responsibility of holding in trust one

of Canada’s most treasured, unique and engaging

national historic sites. Overall, the national historic

site designation has had a positive impact on the

development of the museum.



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ADDENDUM

The Commemorative Context for the Designation of the Diefenbunker / Central

Emergency Government Headquarters National Historic Site of Canada

(An edited excerpt from the December 2007 Commemorative Integrity Statement)

Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada Minutes, Spring 1994

During its spring meetings in June 1994, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC or “the

Board”) recommended that:

The Central Emergency Government Headquarters at Carp, Ontario, known as the "Diefenbunker"

should be designated a national historic site and commemorated by means of a plaque, because it is

symbolic of the Cold War and the strategy of nuclear deterrence as well of a people's determination to

survive as a nation following nuclear war.

Further, as the Board felt that the "Diefenbunker", a poignant, tangible reminder of what was

arguably among the most critical periods in the modern history of mankind, was of exceptional

significance at the national level, it recommended that every effort be made to ensure that the facility,

or a portion of it, is preserved, presented and made accessible to the public . . . . Finally, the Board

recommended that if, as it hoped, the "Diefenbunker" became an operational national site, some

attention should be paid in its interpretation to its importance as an engineering achievement and to

the critical path method of planning used in its construction.

Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada Minutes, Fall 1994

During the fall meetings in November 1994, the Board was informed that the Diefenbunker had recently been

stripped of its furnishings and fixtures. While the Canadian War Museum and the Museum of Civilization had been

fortunate enough to save a number of the artifacts, the majority of them had been or were to be disposed of through

Crown Assets. It was noted in the minutes that:

The Board was extremely upset to learn that the facility had been gutted, as it believed that the "Diefenbunker”

had been the most important surviving Cold War site in Canada. . . .

The Board stated, however, that it was not prepared to rescind its recommendation regarding the national

significance of the "Diefenbunker”. . . . [and] at some time in the future it might be possible to reopen it and,

through the reintroduction of those fittings seen to be essential to the telling of its story, or other means, provide

Canadians with a meaningful interpretation of the story it so poignantly symbolizes - Canada and the Cold

War.

English Plaque Text (Approved by the full Board, 8 May 1998)

Irreverently known as the Diefenbunker, this structure is a powerful symbol of Canada's response to

the Cold War. Designed in the 1950s to withstand all but a direct hit by a nuclear weapon, it was

intended to shelter key political and military personnel during a nuclear attack. Fortunately, it never

served its intended purpose, although the Diefenbaker government made plans to retreat to its

protection during the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. The bunker functioned as the hub of a

communications network and civil defence system until it closed in 1994.



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Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada Minutes, October, 2006

The following is an excerpt from the HSMBC Status of Designations Committee Minutes, 25 October 2006:

Clarification of the Designated Place of the Diefenbunker / Central Emergency Government Headquarters National

Historic Site of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario

As the Board’s Minutes are not clear with respect to the designated place of the Diefenbunker / Central

Emergency Government Headquarters National Historic Site of Canada, the Committee clarified that the

designated place is defined as:

The legal boundary of former CFS Carp, which encloses an area of 35.6 hectares and includes the bunker and

all its supporting facilities. It is bounded on the east by the Carp Road (County Road No. 5), on the west by the

meandering line of the Carp River, and on the north side by Craig Side Road. The southern boundary runs in a

straight line along the edge of a wooded area between Carp Road to the east and the Carp River to the west.

Statement of Commemorative Intent

The Central Emergency Government Headquarters, commonly known as the Diefenbunker, was

designated as a National Historic Site in 1994 as:

symbolic of the Cold War and the strategy of nuclear deterrence;

symbolic of Canada’s determination to survive as a nation following a nuclear war;

a poignant and tangible reminder of what was one of the most critical periods in modern history.

The Impact of Designation on the Diefenbunker, Canada’s ...€¦ · Officers’ Lounge for use as...

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