Sir John A. Macdonald Building, Federal heritage building at Wellington Street, Ottawa, Canada
The Sir John A. Macdonald Building is a Beaux-Arts limestone and granite structure on Wellington Street in Ottawa, with three street frontages and its main entrance facing Parliament's West Block. It houses conference rooms and meeting spaces used for House of Commons business and official ceremonies.
The building opened in 1930 to a design by architect E.I. Barott and was originally built as a branch of the Bank of Montreal. The federal government later acquired it and converted it for parliamentary use.
The limestone carvings on the facade show scenes of Canadian trade and industry rather than the classical figures typical of Beaux-Arts buildings. Looking closely at the exterior walls gives a sense of what the country valued most at the time the building was designed.
The building sits on Wellington Street right next to the Parliament buildings and is easy to spot from the street. Because it is an active government building, access inside may be limited and security checks are likely required.
Despite its classical exterior, the building has earned five Green Globe certifications for its environmental upgrades. A plant-covered roof, invisible from the street, collects rainwater and helps with thermal insulation as part of those improvements.
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