Construction, 1859-1916

Who would design it?

On May 7th, 1859, the Department of Public Works published a Notice to Architects, calling for anyone who was interested to submit drawings and plans of their design no later than August 1st the same year. It was a competition with prizes of £250 (British pounds) for the winners, £100 for the second place designs of the Parliament Buildings, and £100 and £50 for the Governor's residence. The prizes were quite generous. First prize for the Centre Block would be worth considerably more today.

Architects were told what space was needed, how much the final cost would be, what materials to use, and then were given free rein to design buildings in a "plain, substantial style of architecture". The drawings were to be submitted anonymously so that there would be no favouritism. Each architect signed his entry with a nickname to hide his identity, such as Stadacona and Expertus. After the selection committee had chosen a winner, sealed envelopes would be opened to reveal the identities of the contestants.

In September, the designs that had been submitted "298 drawings" were put on display at the Parliament Buildings in Toronto. The entries were judged on 10 requirements, cost, beauty, layout, fire-proofing, etc. When all was said and done, the judges had narrowed the winners down to three but could not agree on who came first and who second. The Governor General, Sir Edmund Head stepped in to sort things out, and finally the winners were announced on August 29th, 1859.

Selection Committee

Two judges were appointed to choose the winners: Samuel Keefer, the deputy commissioner of the Department of Public Works and Frederick Preston Rubidge. Both men were engineers and Rubidge had architectural experience. They were advised by John Morris, an architect who later became the clerk of works overseeing the construction of the parliament buildings.

Designs

Many different styles of architecture were popular during the mid-19th century, everything from Classical styles with columns and domes to Gothic Revival with pinnacles, stained glass and gargoyles. Most architects in Canada at the time had been educated somewhere else, usually Britain. They knew what was going on in the rest of the world and many entered designs that were the height of fashion globally. However there was more to think about than fashion.

These buildings were to be the symbols of responsible government in the new province of Canada. The winning design would have to be dignified. It would remind people of the long history of parliamentary democracy. It would fit in with the rugged countryside but also be stately and formal.

Winners

Centre Block:
1st Semper Paratus
2nd Stat nomen in umbra
3rd Odahwah

Departmental Buildings:
1st Stat nomen in umbra
2nd Semper Paratus

Departmental Buildings:
1st Odahwah
2nd Semper Paratus

Semper Paratus

The winners of the Centre Block prize were Thomas Fuller and Chilion Jones, who had entered an impressive Gothic Revival design with a beautiful tower and circular domed library. They used this style, they said, because it was the most suitable for the site. Using this style, they could make the front formal and dignified but the back could be uneven and picturesque like the escarpment itself.

Another important reason to use the Gothic style was that it was believed to be the truly national style of Britain where the parliamentary system of government had developed. The English Houses of Parliament had been rebuilt in this very style only a few years earlier and were very influential. Classical styles, on the other hand, were thought to be very republican. After all, hadn't the Americans built their legislature in this style?

Fuller and Jones had also entered designs for the East and West Blocks and were awarded the second prize.

Stat nomen in umbra

The winners of the prize for the departmental buildings, the East and West Blocks, were Thomas Stent and Augustus Laver. Their entry for the Centre Block was awarded the second prize. Like Fuller & Jones' Centre Block, these buildings were designed in the Gothic Revival style. The disagreement between the judges about who should win first or second prize shows how well these two teams of architects could work together.

The three completed buildings would form a set, arranged on the hill with a large plaza between them. In the Gothic Revival style, it is important to have balance but not symmetry. That is why the East Block was not designed to be a mirror image of the West Block as it would have been if the Classical style had been used.

Odahwah

The team of Frederick W. Cumberland and W. George Storm won the prize for the residence of the Governor General. They placed third with their design for the Centre Block. Fuller and Jones came second with their design for the Governor's residence.

If it had been built, this palatial residence would have stood on Nepean Point, across the canal from Parliament Hill where the National Gallery of Canada now stands. Unfortunately for Cumberland and Storm, the construction of his rivals' designs for the Parliament Buildings cost so much that there was no money for a new residence. Instead, Rideau Hall was renovated and enlarged.