Alberta Legislative Building
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Alberta Legislative Building is located in Edmonton, Alberta, and serves as the seat of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
[edit] History
The Alberta Legislative Building was built between 1907 and 1913 in the Beaux Arts style at the same time as the Saskatchewan and Manitoba legislatures by architects Allan Merrick Jeffers and Richard Blakey. Jeffers may have been influenced by the state capitol in Rhode Island, where he was a student. The style was originally associated 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 elements was considered appropriate for public buildings as they suggested power, permanence, and tradition. Beaux Arts buildings are characterized by a large central dome rising 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 feet) at a project cost of $4 million dollars.
[edit] Other
The Alberta Legislative Building is located at 10801 97 Avenue NW, Edmonton. Free tours of the facility are offered throughout the week.
