Confederation Building (Ottawa)

Front door

215 Wellington Street

The Confederation Building is a gothic revival office building designed by Richard Cotsman Wright(architect) and Thomas W. Fuller in Ottawa, Canada. Located just west of the Parliament Buildings at Bank and Wellington Streets, it is generally considered part of Parliament Hill. Originally the land where the Confederation Building, and also the Supreme Court of Canada, now stand had contained homes and businesses. These were expropriated by the government to allow for the construction of new federal buildings. The new building was designed by Clarence Burritt. Work on the Confederation Building began when the cornerstone was laid by the Governor General on July 1, 1927 as part of the celebrations of Canada's Diamond Jubilee and it opened during 1931. It originally housed workers in a number of departments, with the Department of Agriculture being the largest tenant. Today it is home both to civil servants and to a number of MPs and ministers. Many of the Conservative MPs have their offices in it. As part of the ongoing work on Parliament Hill there are currently discussions to fill the space between the Confederation Building and the smaller Justice Building to create more office space. This has been contested by some, however, due to a government daycare that is open to hill staff that is already there.

At the same time, the masonry of the Confederation Building is being cleaned and refurbished. This work began during 2008.

External links

• Thomas W. Fuller, Chief Dominion Architect 1927-1936