Creating a Capital / Créer une Capitale

In the 1890s, Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier promoted Ottawa as a consciously created national capital, a “Washington of the North,” and in the early 20th century Canada’s government sought a distinct architectural style for the capital, separate from American and older British models. The Parliament Buildings and the Connaught Building were early attempts to develop this capital style, while the more French-inspired Château Laurier, blending English and French elements, exerted even greater influence on the capital’s architecture. Around the turn of the 20th century, architects in public and private practice drew inspiration from Europe’s great architectural traditions, with some echoing the massive self-confidence of Elizabethan fortresses and others the lyrical romanticism of Loire Valley châteaux, and many buildings in the capital reflected variations on these styles. Architect David Ewart, a leading exponent of the British tradition who worked for the Department of Public Works for 43 years and became its chief architect in 1897, designed the Connaught Building among others and left an indelible mark on the capital. The British tradition included Neo-Gothic, Tudor, and Scottish baronial buildings by David Ewart such as the Dominion Observatory (1900), the Royal Canadian Mint (1908) on Sussex Drive, and the Victoria Memorial Museum (1912), now the Canadian Museum of Nature, while the French tradition of Château style included Château Laurier (1912) by Ross and MacFarlane, the Central Post Office (1937) by W. E. Noffke, and the Supreme Court of Canada (1939) by Ernest Cormier.

Ontario · Canada