The Alberta Legislature Building is located in
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city an ...
and is the meeting place of the
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the province of Alberta, Canada. It sits in the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. The Legislative Assembly currently has 87 members, elected first past the post from si ...
and the
Executive Council of Alberta
The Executive Council of Alberta (the Cabinet) is a body of ministers of the Crown in right of Alberta, who along with the lieutenant governor, exercises the powers of the Government of Alberta. Ministers are selected by the premier and typic ...
. It is often shortened to "the Ledge".
The Alberta Legislature Building is located at 10801 97 Avenue NW. Free tours of the facility are offered throughout the week. The building is also connected
via underground walkway to the
Government Centre station and
Government Centre Transit Centre.
Location
The building is located on a
promontory
A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the ...
overlooking the scenic
North Saskatchewan River valley near the location of
Fort Edmonton, Mark V (1830–1915), a
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...
fur-trading post, a long-established economic and administrative centre of the western Prairies. It is just up the hill from the archaeological finds at
Rossdale Flats to the east, remnants of a long-standing First Nations campsite and location of an earlier Fort Edmonton. The Legislature's location was selected shortly after Edmonton was confirmed as the provincial capital by the first session of the Legislature in 1906. The legislature building was located along
97 Avenue. That road was routed through a tunnel during the 1970s renovations to the grounds, allowing a large plaza to connect the legislature to a greenspace to the north.
To the west of the building, the grounds are bounded by
109 Street and the railway right-of-way coming north from the
High Level Bridge, now used by the
High Level Bridge Streetcar. Nearby is a
walking path
A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. ...
, connecting to the
Victoria Park and Golf Course and the
Grandin neighbourhood. To the north lies the "Government Centre" district within downtown Edmonton, south of
Jasper Avenue, Edmonton's
main street. Here are found several provincial government office buildings including the
Federal Building. A short section of 108 Street, called "Capital Boulevard", is anchored by two
terminating vistas, the legislature and
MacEwan University
, mottoeng =
, type = Public University
, established =
, closed =
, founder =
, parent =
, academic_affiliations = AUCC, ACCC, AACTI ...
's City Centre Campus. MacEwan is a part of the
Old Canadian National rail yard redevelopment.
Nearby to the northeast is the Government Centre transit centre, and further east is the
Rossdale neighbourhood and
Edmonton Ballpark. The security of the Legislature building and surrounding grounds are the responsibility of the
Alberta Sheriffs Branch.
Statues and memorials
Several memorials and statues are situated within the Legislative Buildings, or the grounds surrounding it. The fountain inside the Legislature Building was installed during 1959 to commemorate the first visit of Queen
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states durin ...
to the building. For the province's centennial, the Queen unveiled in the same structure a series of
stained glass
Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...
windows that highlight the role of the
monarchy in Alberta
By the arrangements of the Canadian federation, Canada's monarchy operates in Alberta as the core of the province's Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. As such, the Crown within Alberta's jurisdiction is referred to as ''the Crown in R ...
over the previous century. The centre window, at the front entrance of the building, focuses on the reign of Elizabeth II, including her
royal cypher surmounted by
St. Edward's Crown and flanked by
wild roses, while the other windows commemorate the reign of George VI,
Edward VIII
Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 1 ...
,
George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother ...
, and
Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910.
The second chil ...
, along with provincial emblems such as the
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
and the wild rose.
Other items of significance on the grounds include the
Lois Hole Memorial Garden, the statue of
Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, and a memorial to
Chief Crowfoot.
"Purple City"
A local custom involves area teenagers staring at the building's flood lights and then looking up to see everything in the color purple.
The band
The Rural Alberta Advantage referenced the custom in their song Edmonton.
History
The Alberta Legislature Building was built between 1907 and 1913 in the
Beaux Arts style at the same time as the much larger
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
and
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
legislative buildings by architects Allan Merrick Jeffers and Richard Blakey. Montreal architect
Percy Nobbs helped with the final revisions. Allan Merrick Jeffers served as the Alberta Provincial Architect from September 1907 to 1910. The Provincial Archives of Alberta holds drawings for virtually all provincial buildings executed under his supervision.
Construction first began in August 1907. The cornerstone was laid by the
Governor General of Canada
The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm ...
,
Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey
Albert Henry George Grey, 4th Earl Grey, (28 November 185129 August 1917) was a British peer and politician who served as Governor General of Canada 1904–1911, the List of Governors General of Canada#Governors General of Canada, 1867–presen ...
, on October 1, 1909. On November 30, 1911, the first session was held in the building. The building was officially opened by Lord Grey's successor,
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (Arthur William Patrick Albert; 1 May 185016 January 1942), was the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He served as G ...
, on September 3, 1912.
Jeffers may have been influenced by the
State House of Rhode Island, where he had been a student. The style was associated originally with the
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centur ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
and was fashionable in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
between 1895 and 1920.
The use of
Greek,
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
, and
Egyptian architectural influences was considered appropriate for a public building, as they suggested power, permanence, and tradition. Beaux-Arts buildings are characterized by a large central dome above a spacious rotunda, a symmetrical T-shaped plan, doors and windows decorated with arches or lintels, and a portico supported by massive columns. The dome has terracotta made by Gibbs and Canning of
Tamworth, Staffordshire
Tamworth (, ) is a market town and borough in Staffordshire, England, north-east of Birmingham. The town borders North Warwickshire to the east and north, Lichfield to the north, south-west and west. The town takes its name from the River T ...
, England.
The building is supported on concrete piles and constructed around a steel skeleton. The first floor is faced with
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...
granite; upper floors feature sandstone from the Glenbow Quarry in
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...
. The interior fittings include imported marble, mahogany, oak, and brass.
The building is about in overall height; the project cost over $2 million at the time.
The 75th Anniversary of Alberta's Legislative Building.
For the centennial of the province of Alberta,
stained glass windows with the
royal monogram and the emblems of Alberta were installed above from the main entrance of the building. These stained glass windows were unveiled by Queen Elizabeth II on May 24, 2005.
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
Alberta Legislature Virtual Visit
{{Edmonton landmarks
Buildings and structures in Edmonton
Legislative buildings in Canada
Provincial symbols of Alberta
Beaux-Arts architecture in Canada
Government buildings completed in 1913
Government buildings with domes
Alberta government buildings
Tourist attractions in Edmonton
Alberta Legislature
Terminating vistas in Canada
Provincial Historic Resources in Edmonton
1913 establishments in Alberta