Wellington Building

History

The Wellington Building, located at 180 Wellington Street, directly across from Parliament Hill, is a recognized heritage building. The building’s site was designated as the headquarters of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in 1925, prior to its construction. The building has since undergone numerous additions, renovations and reconfigurations.

Built in 1927, it was an impressive example of Beaux-Arts design, a style that became popular after the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. It became the dominant style for financial companies, government agencies and railway companies in the United States.

The Wellington Building’s Beaux-Arts design featured a facade surmounted by three-storey Corinthian columns. A substantive bronze and glass canopy marked the original entrance and the interior of the ground floor continued the Beaux-Arts design with a rich palette of marble floors and walls, accented by decorative aluminum and gold leaf, as well as beamed and coffered ceilings. The entrance was highlighted by a rich mosaic on the cross-vaulted ceiling of the lobby, which can still be seen today. The building’s employee amenities included a large basement cafeteria as well as recreational facilities on the roof, including tennis and racquetball courts that were removed in 1957 to add two new storeys to the building.

The Wellington Building was considered quite large for a commercial office in Ottawa at the time, and had an open office concept, which is still popular today. Purchased by Public Works and Government Services Canada in 1973, the House of Commons has been the major tenant of the building.

Renovating the Building

The Wellington Building is a key element to the implementation of the Long Term Vision and Plan for the Parliamentary Precinct. It will ensure the ongoing operations of Parliament by providing important space to accommodate Parliamentarians and committee rooms while the Parliament Buildings (e.g. West Block, East Block, Centre Block) undergo much-needed renovations.

Significant work is required to keep this heritage building operational. It needed to be vacated in early 2010 prior to the start of renovations.

Renovations to the building will be undertaken with an acknowledgement of the importance and high visibility of its location. Once complete, it will house 10 committee rooms and 69 parliamentary offices. The heritage features of the building will be retained and restored.

Renovations will start in spring 2010 and will include:

• asbestos removal;
• repairs to exterior structure; and
• complete interior refit.