In the fall of 2009, the RCA Museum took over building M101 with its new curatorial centre. 

This space allows staff to work on collection, rather than in a public space. The building is large enough it now houses 64,000 artifacts which had previously been scattered in storage facilities around the Base. 

Various storage units were built inside M101, while staff have been working the past 14 years moving, unpacking, and entering items into a database after being photographed.

The building allows for staff and volunteers to work on the restoration of Army equipment and vehicles.

This space has also been beneficial for the collection. Previously, some of the artifacts had been housed in unheated buildings, so they couldn’t be worked on in the winter by museum chief mechanic Rob Love. M101 is outfitted with an exhaust system, carbon dioxide detectors, an air handling unit, and showers. 

All health and safety issues have been addressed, and insurance and liability issues have been covered as well. With the curatorial centre, it has allowed staff to look after its vast collection.

It took more than a decade and $150,000 to bring M101 up to code for the museum to put properly look after its military artifacts.

Motorists driving by the building adjacent to the GSH will notice a number of military vehicles parked out front. As well, artifacts are stored outside in the back, including items placed in C-cans.

According to Oakden, there are a number of projects being worked on, including the restoration of a German artillery piece and a post-First World War truck, which is waiting on specific wood to be used in the building of its backend.

Once these two major items are restored in the distant future, they will be put on display at the RCA Museum. The German gun could be placed in the outdoor gun park.