East and West Memorial Buildings, Art Deco federal memorial buildings on Wellington Street, Ottawa, Canada.
The East and West Memorial Buildings are two modern structures with limestone facades and copper roofs that face each other along Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa. The pair stands connected by a monumental arch featuring a marble relief sculpture underneath, creating a unified composition within the streetscape.
Construction began in 1949 to house the growing Department of Veterans Affairs, and the pair was originally called the Veterans Memorial Buildings. They were designed by George Roper Gouinlock and H.L. Allward in a stripped-down Art Deco style, with the two blocks completed in 1949 and 1955 and joined by the Memorial Arch, a bridge dedicated to all who served in the Second World War. In the early 1980s Veterans Affairs moved its headquarters to Charlottetown under Pierre Trudeau's decentralization plan; the Department of Justice is now headquartered in the East Building.
The Memorial Arch linking the two buildings is a bridge over Lyon Street, dedicated to all who served in the Second World War. Between the lanes of Lyon Street lie gardens and a large stone relief carved by Ivan Meštrović honouring those who fought. A plaque erected by the National Capital Commission and Public Works recounts the buildings' purpose.
These buildings sit in the heart of Ottawa along Wellington Street and are easy to reach on foot from other downtown areas and government offices. Visitors can view the exteriors and the memorial arch at any time, with access centered on outdoor views of the structures.
The two buildings are not joined by a true arch: the Memorial Arch spanning Lyon Street is a bridge, dedicated to all who served in the Second World War. Between the lanes of Lyon Street below it lie gardens and a large stone relief carved by Ivan Meštrović.
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