Alberta Legislature Building
The Alberta Legislature Building is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Edmonton. Built between 1907 and 1913, it is the home of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, as well as offices for members of the provincial government. The building was designed by Francis Rattenbury, a British Columbia architect who also designed the British Columbia Legislature buildings and several other prominent landmarks in Victoria, British Columbia.
The building sits on an 11-hectare (28-acre) site on the south shore of the North Saskatchewan River in the provincial capital of Edmonton. The main building is 176 meters (577 feet) long and 135 m (443 ft) wide. It has six stories above ground and seven below ground; a total height of 92 m (302 ft). Its dome is 29.3 meters (96 feet) in diameter and 63 m (207 feet) high at its highest point, making it one of the most impressive domes in Canada.
The building’s exterior is covered with Indiana limestone from Bedford, Indiana, with red brick walls below ground level. The baseboard along all interior walls measures 201 centimeters (6 feet 7 inches), a reference to the year Alberta became a Canadian province. The walls are constructed from sandstone blocks from southern Alberta, each weighing more than 2.5 tonnes.
The Alberta Legislature Building is a monument to progressive and responsible government. It was built in 1912 during the premiership of Alberta’s first premier, Alexander Cameron Rutherford, who served from 1905 to 1910.
The building was designed by Richard Blakey, who had previously worked on the Manitoba Legislative Building and Toronto’s Old City Hall. The exterior was constructed mainly of sandstone from Manitoba and British Columbia. The interior stones are of various colors of marble, quarried in Italy, Belgium and Canada. The building features richly decorated chambers with intricate woodwork and sculptural ornamentation.
Consequently, there are a lot of people who come here to take a tour. Tourists from all over the world come here to visit the building. It is a must-see destination.
Furthermore, if you are a history buff, you will be amazed by the building’s rich history.
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