Parliament Hill
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Parliament Hill, (French Colline du Parlement), -"The Hill" for locals- is a scenic location on the banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Canada. Its Gothic revival suite of buildings serves as the home of the Parliament of Canada. The best known building is the Centre Block, with its prominent Peace Tower, a national symbol. The richly decorated interior of the centre block contains allegorical scenes.
Parliament buildings
The entire parliamentary precinct measures 112,360 square metres. It is bounded on the north by the Ottawa River, on the east by the Rideau Canal, on the south by Wellington Street, and on the west by a service road near the Supreme Court. The buildings were erected on Barracks Hill, a large hill over looking the Ottawa River. The land had been in the government's possession for many decades because of its strategic importance, and had previously been home to a number of military facilities.The structure was originally designed as the legislature for the Canadas, and was already under construction by the time of Confederation in 1867. The current Parliament Buildings were built between 1865 and 1927. The West Block was built in 1865 and the East Block in two stages in 1867 and 1910. The Library of Parliament was opened in 1876, and the original Centre Block completed in 1878. The Legislature of the Province of Canada met for the first time in the new building on 8 June 1866, and the new Parliament of the Dominion of Canada began its first session there on November 6, 1867.
The original structure was designed by Thomas Fuller and Chilion Jones. It was in the Gothic Revival style that was popular at the time. The British Palace of Westminster had recently been rebuilt in this style, and the choice of a gothic rather than an American inspired neoclassical design, was a symbol of Canada's continued links to Britain. The building was erected in the High Victorian Gothic style. By this time the desire to faithfully imitate medieval designs had faded, and architects were freely remixing Gothic elements in new and innovative manners. Thus the tower comes from German architecture, the roofs from French, and the library distinctly English.
Great fire and rebuilding
The Centre Block burned in 1916; the edifice was entirely destroyed except for the Library of Parliament, whose treasures were preserved by a quick-thinking librarian who was able to close its massive doors. The Centre Block was immediately rebuilt, being completed in 1920, with the Peace Tower, commemorating the end of the First World War, being completed in 1927. The new structure, designed by John Pearson and Omar Marchand, again embraced Gothic Revival, but also integrated the Beaux Arts ideas current at the time.The Peace Tower is the most prominent part of the buildings. It replaced the 55-metre Victoria Tower, burned in the 1916 fire. Like the entire interior and exterior of the building, the tower is decorated with approximately 370 stone carvings, including gargoyles, grotesques, and freizes.
The centrepiece of the new buildings is the Hall of Honour in the Centre Block, which is notable for being the only place where Canadians can lie in state.
Since then there have been a number of significant incidents in the building's history. In 1966 Paul Joseph Chartier killed himself in a Centre Block washroom while preparing to bomb the House of Commons. In 1989 Charles Yacoub hijacked a Greyhound bus and drove it up onto Parliament Hill.
Future plans
In 2012, the Centre Block is scheduled to be closed for five years for an extensive interior renovation. In preparation, the other buildings are being renovated and expanded first; the inner courtyards of the West and East Blocks will be enclosed, and temporary chambers for the Commons and Senate installed.Recent news
On Wednesday May 24, 2006 the clock on peace tower stopped for the first time in over 20 years at 7:28am. For over 72 hours, the clock stood still until a technician from the American company that made the clock, the Verdin Company in Ohio, fixed it.Major events
Every July 1, Canadians gather on Parliament Hill to celebrate Canada Day. During the summer months, people gather to watch the Changing of the Guard on the lawn in front of the Parliament Buildings. A similar ceremony is also performed at Rideau Hall, the Governor General's residence. Each year on April 20th, people gather in front of the Parliament and smoke marijuana and show their support for legalizing it. Another rally is held during the first week of May, recognized as The Global Marijuana March. As many as 200 cities participate in a worldwide protest against the prohibition of marijuana [2006 Global Marijuana March].Among the major events Parliament Hill has hosted:
- Raising of Canada's new maple leaf flag for the first time on February 15, 1965;
- Lighting of the centennial flame on December 31, 1966;
- Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms being signed and brought into force by Queen Elizabeth II on April 17, 1982;
- Canadians lying in state. Among them:
- *Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau [Trudeau: 1919-2000], [video]
- *Canada's Unknown Soldier.
- celebrations for the Millennium; and
- Canada's memorial service to honour the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks in 2001, which Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, and U.S. Ambassador to Canada Paul Cellucci presided over and over 100,000 attended[CBC Video Clip]. While the rest of the world saw the service at the Washington National Cathedral, this simultaneous service — "the largest single vigil" ever seen in the nation's capital, [Archives - Paul Martin] [CNN LATE EDITION WITH WOLF BLITZER, Interview With Paul Martin] — was televised live across Canada.
See also
References
External links
- *WikiSatellite view at [WikiMapia]
- *Street map from [Mapquest] or [Google Maps]
- *Satellite image from [Google Maps]
- *Topographical map from [Maptech]
- [link]
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