Library of Parliament
Often referred to as the “most beautiful room in Canada” the Library of Parliament, a showpiece of high Victorian Gothic revival architecture, is the only part of the original Parliament still standing today. Designed by Thomas Fuller and Chilion Jones, and inspired by the British Museum Reading Room, the building is formed as a chapter house, separated from the main body of the Centre Block by a corridor. This arrangement, as well as many other details of the design, was reached with the input of the then parliamentary librarian, Alpheus Todd.
Though construction of the present library began in 1859 and the collection arrived in Ottawa in 1866, work was halted in 1861 and was not completed until 1876 when the 47,000 volumes—including several donated by Queen Victoria—were installed.
The library's contents grew over the next five decades and they, as well as the Library itself, were saved from the 1916 fire that destroyed the majority of the Centre Block. The single corridor and the actions of the closing the library’s iron doors by the library clerk at the time, Michael MacCormac, assured that the fire did not spread to that area.
In 1952, however, an electrical fire in the ceiling badly damaged the Library’s interior. The Library was closed for nearly four years for restoration. At that time, the wood paneling was carefully dismantled and sent to Montréal for cleaning and fireproofing. A replica of the cherry, oak and walnut parquet floor was installed.
By the late 1990s, the Library had lost some of its original radiance and function as a reading room because it had basically become a cluttered open office space. The once multicoloured ironwork was now a uniform black and the original light-filtering glass floors of the galleries had been removed. The Library closed again between 2002 and 2006. The work done during those four years restored the Library to its original Victorian splendor and upgraded the infrastructure to meet modern standards.
Decorative art and finishes
Inside, the white pine paneling showcases more than 1,600 designs including flowers, masks, and mythical beasts. The room is full of a variety of textures, colors, and handcrafted details which reflects the fact that it was inspired by medieval architecture. The effect is eclectic and highly romantic.
The galleries display the coats of arms of the seven provinces that existed in 1876 when the Library was built.
In the center of the circular domed room stands a white marble statue of the young Queen Victoria. The statue was carved by Marshall Wood from a block of white marble. It is 3.45 metres tall and weighs about 3,500 kilograms.
The collection
Today, the library's collection comprises 650,000 items (more than 17 linear kilometers of materials) covering hundreds of years of history. The vast collection includes books, periodicals, government documents, CD-ROMs, DVDs, and videos.
The collection also has a few rare and old books and documents. Published in 1558, Les singularitez de la France antarctique, autrement nommée Amerique, & de plusieurs terres & isles découvertes de nostre temps by André Thevet is the Library’s oldest book. The oldest newspaper is a first edition of the Quebec Gazette, published on June 21, 1764. It is bilingual.
Notes
Canadian Parliamentary Review, Treasures of the Library of Parliament, Vol 43 No 1 (Spring), July 2020.
Library of Parliament, Decorative arts and finishes.
