“Parliament Buildings National Historic Site of Canada is prominently located on a hill above the Ottawa River on Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. Four Gothic Revival style buildings grouped on landscaped grounds, namely the West Block, the Centre Block, the East Block, and the Library. Built 1859-1865 to serve the united provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, the Parliament Buildings were occupied by the House of Commons, Senate and departmental offices of the new Dominion of Canada after Confederation in 1867. The Parliament Buildings have been constantly occupied, and continue to be the real and symbolic center of Canadian government.

“Originally known as Barracks Hill, the site was chosen for its commanding location, its fine uninterrupted views of the region, and for its three decades of occupation by a military garrison and the Royal Engineers, rendering it a central focus of town social life. The building complex was dramatically sited on the hill and construction began in 1859.

“The original buildings were examples of Ruskinian picturesque High Victorian Gothic architecture, designed by two architectural partnerships. Thomas Fuller and Chilion Jones designed the original Centre Block and Library, and Thomas Stent and Augustus Laver were responsible for the East and West Blocks. The buildings were intended to house all government activities with the East and West Blocks reserved for the entire civil service. The Centre Block was sufficiently complete in 1865 to be occupied by government departments, and it was officially opened on 6 June 1866. The Library was begun in 1859, redesigned in 1870, and finished in 1877. Fire destroyed the Centre Block, with the exception of the Library, in 1916. When it was rebuilt a few years later, the building was enlarged and the Peace Tower was completed in 1928. The Gothic style was retained by the architects Pearson & Marchand, although updated to a Beaux-Arts axial plan with Gothic details.

“The Parliament Buildings play an important symbolic role as the physical embodiment of the Canadian government. This symbolism is most visually manifest in the exterior image of the Centre Block and its Peace Tower, yet the whole grouping is clearly identified with the nation’s capital, particularly because it is not an architectural image developed elsewhere in the country.”

Information derived from the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

Credits and Sources:

Information derived from the Canadian Register of Historic Place