Construction, 1859-1916

Commission of inquiry

The commission discovered four very basic problems:

1. Public Works had not checked the depth of the bedrock before estimating how much it would cost to dig the foundations.
2. The heating and ventilation systems had not been included in the original contracts.
3. These same contracts allowed the architects to charge extra for work that wasn't included.
4. The style of architecture was simply very expensive to build. Encrusted with carved ornaments and gilded iron work, this was not a "plain, substantial style of architecture" at all. The original estimate would have been woefully inadequate even if everything had gone smoothly.