Canadian Museum of History, National history museum in Gatineau, Canada
The Canadian Museum of History is a national museum in Gatineau along the Ottawa River shoreline facing the capital. Its curved exterior walls of pale limestone and copper-green glass follow the riverbank and create open interior spaces with multiple floors of exhibition halls.
The Province of Canada founded the collection in 1856 as part of its geological survey and initially displayed minerals and fossils. During the 20th century, the focus shifted toward human history of the country, and in 1989 the institution moved into a new building at its current location.
The Grand Hall holds six Pacific Coast house fronts built by First Nations artisans from huge red cedar beams, linked by a wooden walkway. The group of totem poles standing before them is described as the largest indoor display of totem poles in the world. At the river end, a seven-storey dome carries Alex Janvier's 418-square-metre abstract painting Morning Star, completed with his son Dean in 1993.
The building stands on the north bank of the Ottawa River along Boulevard de la Confédération, facing the Parliament Buildings across the water. The Grand Hall's 112-metre glass wall gives a direct view of the river and the Hill. The museum is fully accessible, with elevators serving every level.
A full wall in the upper part of the building displays a large color photograph looking down over forests, lakes, and rivers of the northern land. Under the tall glass roof of the main hall, several tall totem poles stand side by side, originally raised on the west coast and now forming the largest indoor collection of their kind.
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