St. Marys Falls Canal HAER No. MI-322-D-3 (Soo Locks, Military Defense Subcomplex, Building #3/Dayroom & PX) St. Marys River at the Falls Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa County Michigan

PHOTOGRAPHS

WRITTEN HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE DATA

Historic American Engineering Record National Park Service Midwest Regional Office 1709 Jackson Street Omaha, Nebraska 68102 HAER No. MI-322-D-3

HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORD

ST.MARYS FALLS CANAL (SOO LOCKS, MILITARY DEFENSE SUBCOMPLEX, BUILDING #3/DAYROOM & PX)

Location: St. Marys River at the Falls Sault Ste. Marie, Chippewa County, Michigan

Significance: Building #3 of the Military Defense subcomplex is significant as an element that contributes to the overall integrity ofthe Soo Lock complex. This facility also demonstrates the strategic importance of the Soo Locks and their ability to facilitate shipping along the St. Marys River, between the steel mills of the lower Great Lakes and the ore fields in the Lake Superior region.

History: Building #3/Dayroom and PX was built in the mid-l 950s as part of the effort to protect the Soo Locks from attack during the Cold War.

Description:

A. General Statement:

1. Architectural character: This is a simple, one-story, building with a shallow gabled roof.

2. Condition of fabric: The integrity of the building is poor. It is partially open to the weather, generally abandoned and deteriorating.

B. Exterior Description:

1. General description: Constructed to permit rapid set-up and take-down, this rectangular structure is framed with metal wall studs and rafters that are hinged and pinned. The building is also sheathed and roofed with metal panels. Interior walls are finished with composition board, while the concrete floors are covered with tile. The building is oriented on an east/west axis.

2. Overall dimensions: 48'-8" x 20'-10"

3. Openings:

a. Doorways and doors: One, two-door unit is centered in the east endwall and measures 58" by 80". A single door in the south endwall measures 36" by 80". ST.MARYS FALLS CANAL (SOO LOCK, MILITARY DEFENSE SUBCOMPLEX, BUILDING #3/DAYROOM & PX) HAER No. MI-322-D-3 Page2

b. Windows: All windows are boarded over, with general dimensions of 28.5" by 34".

D. Setting:

Building #3/Dayroom & PX is a component of the Military Defense subcomplex, which also includes Building #I/Barracks (HAER No. MI-322-D-1), Building #2/Administration (HAER No. MI-322-D-2), Building #4/Classroom & Theater (HAER No. MI-322-D-4), and Building #5/Supply (HAER No. MI-322-D-5). Additional components of the general Soo Lock complex include the MacArthur, New Poe, Davis, and Sabin lock subcomplexes (HAER Nos. MI-322-E, MI-322-F, MI-322-A, and MI-322-B, respectively), Emergency Dam Steam Plant (HAER No. MI-322-C), General Administration Building (HAER No. MI-3 22-G), Davis Building (HAER No. MI-322-H, Powerhouse No. 1 (HAER No. MI-322-I), Powerhouse No. 2 (HAER No. MI-322-J), and Boathouse & Maintenance sub-complex (HAER No. MI-322-K).

Sources: No bibliographic resources unique to this document were used. Citations for all sources used are provided in PART III (SOURCES OF INFORMATION) of the complex's overview document (HAER No. MI-322).

Historian: John N. Vogel, Senior Historian, Heritage Research, Ltd., 2000.