Alberta Legislative Building
Encyclopedia
The Alberta Legislature Building is located in Edmonton
, Alberta
, and is the meeting place of the Legislative Assembly
and the Executive Council
.
and Manitoba
legislative buildings by architects Allan Merrick Jeffers and Richard Blakey. Jeffers may have been influenced by the State House
of Rhode Island, where he had been a student. The style was associated originally with the École des Beaux-Arts
in Paris
and was fashionable in North America
between 1895 and 1920.
The use of Greek
, Roman
, and Egyptian
architectural influences was considered appropriate for a public building, as they suggested power, permanence, and tradition. Beaux Arts buildings are characterized by a large central dome above a spacious rotunda, a symmetrical T-shaped plan, doors and windows decorated with arches or lintels, and a portico supported by massive columns.
The building is supported on concrete piles and constructed around a steel skeleton. The first floor is faced with Vancouver Island
granite; upper floors feature sandstone from the Glenbow Quarry in Calgary
. The interior fittings include imported marble, mahogany, oak, and brass.
The building is 55 metres (180.4 ft) long; the project cost $4 million dollars.
.
windows that highlight the role of the monarchy in Alberta
over the previous century. The centre window, at the front entrance of the building, focuses on the reign of Elizabeth II, including her royal cypher
surmounted by St. Edward's Crown
and flanked by wild roses, while the other windows commemorate the reign of George VI, Edward VIII
, George V
, and Edward VII
, along with provincial emblems such as the coat of arms
and the Alberta rose
.
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, and is the meeting place of the Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
and the Executive Council
Executive Council of Alberta
The Executive Council of Alberta is the cabinet of that Canadian province.Almost always made up of members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, the Cabinet is similar in structure and role to the Cabinet of Canada while being smaller in size...
.
History
The Alberta Legislature Building was built between 1907 and 1913 in the Beaux Arts style at the same time as the much larger SaskatchewanSaskatchewan Legislative Building
The Saskatchewan Legislative Building is located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and houses the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.-History:...
and Manitoba
Manitoba Legislative Building
The Manitoba Legislative Building is the meeting place of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, in central Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It was originally named the Manitoba Parliament Building, not Legislative. The neoclassical building was completed in 1920 and stands seventy-seven meters tall...
legislative buildings by architects Allan Merrick Jeffers and Richard Blakey. Jeffers may have been influenced by the State House
Rhode Island State House
The Rhode Island State House is the capitol of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It is located on the border of the Downtown and Smith Hill sections of the state capital city of Providence...
of Rhode Island, where he had been a student. The style was associated originally with the École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and was fashionable in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
between 1895 and 1920.
The use of Greek
Architecture of Ancient Greece
The architecture of Ancient Greece is the architecture produced by the Greek-speaking people whose culture flourished on the Greek mainland and Peloponnesus, the Aegean Islands, and in colonies in Asia Minor and Italy for a period from about 900 BC until the 1st century AD, with the earliest...
, Roman
Roman architecture
Ancient Roman architecture adopted certain aspects of Ancient Greek architecture, creating a new architectural style. The Romans were indebted to their Etruscan neighbors and forefathers who supplied them with a wealth of knowledge essential for future architectural solutions, such as hydraulics...
, and Egyptian
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
architectural influences was considered appropriate for a public building, as they suggested power, permanence, and tradition. Beaux Arts buildings are characterized by a large central dome above a spacious rotunda, a symmetrical T-shaped plan, doors and windows decorated with arches or lintels, and a portico supported by massive columns.
The building is supported on concrete piles and constructed around a steel skeleton. The first floor is faced with Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
granite; upper floors feature sandstone from the Glenbow Quarry in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
. The interior fittings include imported marble, mahogany, oak, and brass.
The building is 55 metres (180.4 ft) long; the project cost $4 million dollars.
Other
The Alberta Legislature Building is located at 10801 97 Avenue NW, Edmonton. Free tours of the facility are offered throughout the week. The building is also connected via underground walkway to the Grandin/Government Centre LRT stationGrandin (ETS)
Grandin Station is an LRT Station operated by Edmonton Transit System in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is an underground station located beneath 110 Street between 99 Avenue and 98 Avenue. It provides service to the Government Centre part of the downtown core and the neighbourhood of...
.
Statues and memorials at the Legislative Buildings and grounds
The fountain inside the Legislature Building was installed during 1959 to commemorate the first visit of Queen Elizabeth II to the building. Also, for the province's centennial, the Queen unveiled in the same structure a series of stained glassStained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows that highlight the role of the monarchy in Alberta
Monarchy in Alberta
By the arrangements of the Canadian federation, Canada's monarchy operates in Alberta as the core of the province's Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. As such, the Crown within Alberta's jurisdiction is referred to as the Crown in Right of Alberta, Her Majesty in Right of Alberta, or The...
over the previous century. The centre window, at the front entrance of the building, focuses on the reign of Elizabeth II, including her royal cypher
Royal Cypher
In modern heraldry, a royal cypher is a monogram-like device of a country's reigning sovereign, typically consisting of the initials of the monarch's name and title, sometimes interwoven and often surmounted by a crown. In the case where such a cypher is used by an emperor or empress, it is called...
surmounted by St. Edward's Crown
St. Edward's Crown
St Edward's Crown was one of the English Crown Jewels and remains one of the senior British Crown Jewels, being the official coronation crown used in the coronation of first English, then British, and finally Commonwealth realms monarchs...
and flanked by wild roses, while the other windows commemorate the reign of George VI, Edward VIII
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
, George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
, and Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
, along with provincial emblems such as the coat of arms
Coat of arms of Alberta
The original coat of arms of Alberta was granted to Alberta by a Royal Warrant of King Edward VII on 30 May 1907. The shield is also featured on the flag of Alberta.-History:...
and the Alberta rose
Rosa acicularis
Rosa acicularis, also known as the prickly wild rose, the prickly rose, the bristly rose and the Arctic rose, is a species of wild rose with a Holarctic distribution in northern regions of Asia, Europe, and North America....
.
- Lois Hole Memorial Garden
- Statue of Princess Louise, Duchess of ArgyllPrincess Louise, Duchess of ArgyllThe Princess Louise was a member of the British Royal Family, the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and her husband, Albert, Prince Consort.Louise's early life was spent moving between the various royal residences in the...
- Chief Crowfoot