Manitoba Legislative Building

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The Manitoba Legislature

The Manitoba Legislative Building is the meeting place of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, in central Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The neoclassical building was completed in 1920 and stands seventy-seven metres tall (253 ft). It was designed by Frank Worthington Simon and Henry Boddington III. Frank Simon (1862-1933) was a former student at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts which taught students neoclassical art, architecture, drawing, painting, sculpture, engraving, philosophy, and mythology. The building is famous for the Golden Boy, a gold covered bronze statue based on the style of the Roman god Mercury, or the Greek god Hermes, at the top of the cupola.

The building was constructed in the neoclassical style that was inspired by the revival of ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman art, geometry, and classical philosophy. Construction began in 1913 and was completed in 1920. It took approximately seven years to build, and cost approximately 9 million dollars, which is equivalent to almost one billion dollars today. The legislature was built to represent millions of citizens that were predicted to populate Winnipeg and Manitoba. Winnipeg's great economic boom of the early 1900's eventually waned, and the population did not grow as expected. Winnipeg was once the third largest city in Canada, and the center of a vast train transportion network.

The Manitoba Legislature was mainly constructed with Tyndall limestone, along with various kinds of marble. The building is very symmetrical, and possibly parallels King Solomon's Temple in some ways. There are beautiful statues of Moses and Solon within the Member's Chamber, grand paintings on the ceiling, and impressive Latin words above. Throughout this magnificent building can be seen the great abilities of the many artists, masons, carpenters, and skilled workers that helped to build it. It would be nearly impossible, especially for funding, to construct such a marvelous work of art and architecture today.

The main architectural styles found in the building originate from Ancient Greek and Roman civilization, especially mathematics, geometry, and astronomy. The Member's Chamber is unique because it is horseshoe shaped. An Italian marble balustrade surrounds the Egyptian replica of a circular alter named the Pool of the Black Star, which is located on the floor of the level below. The perfect balustrade circle in the rotunda is directly below the Golden Boy, and below an exact sized circle above, which all is perfectly and symmetrically aligned with the Black Star below. Above the Grand Staircase are reproductions of the Caryatides statues found in the Porch of Maidens in the Erechtheum of Athens, Greece. The heads of Medusa and Athena can also be seen above the staircase. Athena was the goddess of democracy and wisdom to inspire those who entered the building for purposes of forming a good government. Sphinx and other classical symbols were incorporated into the metal work of lamps and the wood work of furniture. The Greek key symbol can be found all over, which symbolizes the eternal, and infinite quest for wisdom and knowledge. There is a plethora of ancient mythology and a revival of classical arts and philosophy within the building. These symbols were to help inspire leaders and politicians to become more wise, to gain self-knowledge, to cultivate virtues, and to reflect upon the Divine spark within. The Freemasons and many classical philosophers believed that there is evidence of the Divine, or Supreme Being within us, discovered through self-knowledge and self-reflection. Perhaps this is why the Legislature was built to incorporate so many interesting numerological and geometrical patterns that can be discovered in nature, such as the Fibonacci number sequence.

There are about 30 acres of gardens and green space that surrounds the Legislature, and a scenic waterfront walkway along the Assiniboine River. One can view the abundant limestone statues that adorn the outside of the building, including two Egyptian Sphinx and the Jewish Ark of the Covenant replicas. In the past, there were tunnels that connected the Legislature to other buildings nearby, but these are no longer in use. Over the decades, many basic ideas about neoclassical art and architecture have been forgotten and have gone unnoticed by many citizens and politicians.

[edit] Architectural theories

In February 2005, University of Winnipeg graduate student Frank Albo proposed a detailed theory that the architectural specifications of the Manitoba Legislative Building mimic those of King Solomon's Temple in ancient Jerusalem. Albo pointed out that there is also an Egyptian goddess in the middle of the pediment with the sun behind her. Further research clarified what the ox skulls represent above the Grand Staircase based on the architect's own words. Albo also suggested that there are many occult and Freemason symbols scattered throughout the building. Examples include two Sphinx, 3 times 13 step staircases, and the dimensions of the foyer are 66.6 by 66.6 feet, just to name a few. Further research is required to accurately confirm what the architects were exactly thinking or intending when they incorporated and revived specific kinds of Egyptian, Grecian, and Roman art, mythology, architecture, and geometry into this unique and beautiful building. Perhaps there is no conspiracy, or no esoteric purposes, but simply a lack of education in Classical architecture and philosophy today.