Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Public works building plans : negatives
General material designation
- microform
- architectural drawing
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Source of title proper: Title based on the contents of the series.
Level of description
Series
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
-
1969-1978 (Creation)
- Creator
- British Columbia. Dept. of Public Works
Physical description area
Physical description
ca. 25,300 architectural and technical drawings : b&w polyester negatives ; 10 x 15 cm
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
The Dept. of Public Works was established in 1908 with the enactment of the Department of Public Works Act (SBC 1908, c. 41). The Dept. of Public Works was a successor to the Lands and Works Dept. The mandate of the Dept. of Public Works included construction and maintenance of government offices and buildings, public highways, bridges, wharves, river-bank protection, and maintenance of ferry and steamboat services.
In 1947 the work of the department was divided into district offices, an Architect’s Branch, Accounting Branch, Engineering Branch, and Equipment Branch. The department was also responsible for boiler inspection and electrical energy inspection.
In 1955, the responsibility for highways was transferred to the newly formed Dept. of Highways. At this time, the Dept. of Public Works, under the revised Department of Public Works Act (SBC 1955, c. 65), consisted of the Architectural Branch, Boiler Inspection Division, Electrical Energy Inspection Division, and Gas Inspection Division.
In 1975 the Dept. of Public Works was dissolved and its functions were merged with the functions of the Dept. of Highways to form the Dept. of Highways and Public Works (OIC 3842/75).
Custodial history
Scope and content
The series consists of approximately 23,000 photographic negatives created by the Dept. of Public Works between 1969 and 1978, to manage historic building plans and drawings of public buildings throughout British Columbia. The plans include those for law courts, highways maintenance yards, police buildings, hospitals and health centres, government office buildings, liquor stores, correctional centres and camps, sewage treatment plants, fire halls, civil defence buildings, vocational schools, universities, mental health institutions, provincial schools and the Provincial Legislative buildings.
The negatives were made from original plans sent to, and filmed by, the Reproductions Laboratory in batches. If the Dept. of Public Works did not hold an original plan, it was borrowed from consultants and returned after filming. The laboratory made two negatives for each plan and assigned them the same negative number. Negatives in each filming batch were arranged in batches in negative number order, from number 22,000 to 229,581, but numbering between batches was discontinuous. Each negative was housed in an envelope on which was recorded the negative number, Public Works plan number, date of filming, camera setting and density. The Reproductions Laboratory retained one negative from each pair and sent the other to the Public Works Plan Library. The negatives were then used to produce microform reference copies of the plans, in the form of aperture cards, which were then distributed throughout the Department.
The series also contains ca. 2300 negatives arranged by Public Works drawing number (DPW). These four boxes of negatives probably duplicate those arranged by negative number as well as the aperture cards in GR-2176.
Use the indexes to Public Works building buildings plans (GR-2184) in order to determine the negative numbers for specific buildings.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Transferred from B.C. Buildings Corporation storage at Windermere Building, 1982.
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Location of original plans unknown.
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
These records are restricted. Please contact the BC Archives for information about access.
Conservation restriction: researchers should use 35 mm aperture cards where available.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Copyright belongs to the Government of British Columbia.
Finding aids
Associated materials
For indexes to Public Works building plans, see GR-2184.
For Public Works building plans : aperture cards, see GR-2176.
Accruals
General note
Accession number(s): M91-007 (91-0055-0077-0078).
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number area
Standard number
Access points
Place access points
Name access points
- British Columbia. Dept. of Public Works (Subject)
- British Columbia Buildings Corporation (Subject)