Uptade: March 2017

A beautiful work of art

When we think of Parliament in Ottawa, the Peace Tower comes to mind. It certainly is one of the most original buildings in our capital city. The Parliamentary Precinct features many buildings. We’ll take a look at the East Block from the Canadian Parliament collection of over 250 images.

Still following the gothic revival style, the East Block has a feel all its own. It is featured above, Fall East Block seen from Major’s Hill park surrounded by autumn. Notice that part of the copper roof is still new and brown. Within 20 years or so, it will acquire the green hue that comes from chemical oxidation as seen on other parts of the roof.

The Canadian Parliament East Block seen with an angry cloudy sky in Ottawa.

This image, I call “Angry Politics”. Notice the tower contains circular windows, and if you look hard enough, you can almost make out a face in the architecture. Check it out, 2 eyes and a mouth.

Construction on the East Block commenced by the end of 1859, at the same time as work on the Centre Block and West Block began. By the time it was completed in 1866, the building was four years behind schedule and costs had risen to $706,549, when $150,000 had originally been allocated. As the home of the office of the governor general and the offices for all the Cabinet ministers, the East Block was immediately occupied by the Viscount Monck and his prime minister, John A. Macdonald, who occupied the room at the south west corner of the second floor; the same room was also used by Lester B. Pearson when he was Secretary for External Affairs.

Here, we see the image, East Block Canada in its glory with lights and the Centennial Flame. Located on the east side of Centre Block, it houses many parliamentarians including Senators of Canada. Behind, we see the Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel just a walk away.

This is an original view of the East Block tower with its waving flag. It is seen from the Unicorn Gargoyle’s point of view at the entrance of Centre Block. The far building at right is the Langevin Block which is the office of the Prime Minister of Canada.

Seen here on the East Block lawn, a statue of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the first francophone Canadian Prime Minister (1896-1911). Joseph-Émile Brunet, a young artist from Montréal, created the bronze sculpture. He would later become one of Quebec’s foremost figure sculptors.

Both East Block images above, show the same scene in different seasons. This can be helpful when writing season-specific articles.

I Hope you’ve enjoyed visiting the East Block. Have a look at the Canadian Parliament collection of 250+ photos. It contains all the major buildings of the Parliamentary Precinct. Images start at $12 and are available for immediate download. See the complete Portfolio at mostphotos.com.

Thank you and have an excellent evening!

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OTHER POSTS BY MICHEL LOISELLE

Knowing our Parliamentary Precinct — Tulips on Parliament Hill – The West Block of Canada – 7 Year Parliament Project – Politically Speaking – Canada in One Photo – Design and Imaging — Haunted Castle — Night Shots — Hey That’s My Image — My Canadian Pride Is Showing — Canada Day on Parliament Hill — Images in Color and in Stereo – 5 Reasons to Use Photos — Gargoyles on Parliament Hill – Christmas on Parliament Hill – Live Music is Always Best – The Confederation Building – The Supreme Court of Canada