Saturday Travel Feature
B.C. Parliament Buildings
Victoria, B.C.
"The main block of the Parliament Buildings combines Baroque details with Romanesque Revival rustiction.
Construction of a nw Parliament Building was first authorized by an act of the provincial legilature in 1893, the Parliament Buildings Construction Act."...the original budget was $500,000 the final amount was $923,000—the British Columbia Parliament Buildings were officially opened in 1898[4]. The grand scale of its 500-ft (152-m) long andesite façade[5], central dome and two end pavilions, the richness of its white marble, and combination of Baroque rigorous symmetry, use of domes and sculptural massing with the rusticated surfaces of the currently popular Romanesque Revival style contributed to its being an innovative and impressive monument for the young province. Its success garnered Rattenbury many more commissions in Victoria and other parts of the province, including the Legislative Library 1913-1915, the design of The Empress Hotel, the Crystal Gardens indoor swimming pool nearby, and the Vancouver Court House (now the Vancouver Art Gallery). The andesite of the British Columbia Parliament Buildings is from Haddington Island in the Alert Bay Volcanic Belt.[6] The granite used to build the buildings came from Nelson Island, at the mouth of Jervis Inlet, on the Sunshine Coast." (See Link 1.)
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Window
in the B.C. Parliament Buildings, Victoria, B.C.
The Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II was the international celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II to the thrones of seven countries, upon the death of her father, King George VI, on 6 February 1952, and was intended by the Queen to be both a commemoration of her 50 years as monarch and an opportunity for her to officially and personally thank her people for their loyalty. (See Link 3.)
"The medal was administered by the Chancellery of Honours at Rideau Hall and was awarded to Canadians who made a significant contribution to their fellow citizens, their community or to Canada over the previous fifty years.[2] Various organizations were invited to propose the names of candidates for the medal; this included all levels of Canadian government, educational and cultural organizations, the Canadian Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, veterans' groups, sports associations, and philanthropic and charitable bodies.[1]" (See Link 2.)
Note: Suzanne Wilson received a Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal for her Year 2000 Project, Your House/Our Home, donated to and on view at the North Vancouver Museum and Archives.
Demolished: First Legislative Hall burned down in 1957.Photos: Taken in 2003 by SW.
Link 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Elizabeth_II_Golden_Jubilee_Medal
