1866 – West Block, Parliament Hill, Ottawa

In 1859, architects Thomas Stent and Augustus Laver won a architectual competition to design the East and West Blocks in a High Victorian version of the Gothic Revival style. They came second in the competition to design the Houses of Parliament.

The West Block was built in three phases. Designed to house offices for the federal public service, it is in the Victorian High Gothic style with load bearing masonry walls. Construction started in 1859, and the building opened in 1866. The second phase, the Northwest Wing, was built from 1875 to 1879, with the final section, the North Wing, built from 1906 to 1909. The exterior is sandstone with dressed stone trim around windows and other edges, as well as a fine collection of stone carvings, including gargoyles, grotesques, and friezes.

In recent years the central courtyard has been glazed over, and a temporary House of Commons constructed within the space while restoration of the main parliamentary buildings progresses.

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