Fort Vancouver Historic Structures Report

Recommendations

a. Careful archeological excavations should be conducted in the northwest stockade angle in an attempt to determine the sequence of structures in that area. Establishment of such a sequence might throw light on the construction date of the Root House.

b. The site of the Root House should be completely excavated and all architectural details should be carefully examined and mapped.

c. If the refuse that archeologists discovered in the Root House cellar in 1952 is still there, it should be carefully screened for materials, such as the "interlocking sheets of iron," that would throw light on the architecture of other fort structures.

d. Upon the basis of the archeological findings and the 1860 photograph, architectural drawings of the Root House should be prepared by historical architects versed in Hudson's Bay Company construction methods and in the design of root cellars in general. A special study of nineteenth-century British and Canadian root cellar design would be desirable.

e. In view of the uncertainty concerning the date of erection of the Root House, it is recommended that a decision concerning the reconstruction of this building be delayed until it is seen if renewed archeological excavations produce information as to the time of building. If it can be shown that the Root House was not erected until after 1846, the building should not be included in the reconstruction project, interesting though it is. If no further information concerning the date of erection can be found, it is recommended that reconstruction be authorized but with a very low priority.