The Second Supreme Court of Canada building sat to the west of

Parliament Hill Parliament Hill (french: Colline du Parlement, colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Its Gothic revival suite of buildings, and their archit ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

and was home to the

Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...

from 1882 to 1945. Built in 1874, it was built by

Chief Dominion Architect Chief Dominion Architect was a position created in 1871 by the Government of Canada to help design public federal buildings across Canada. The role reported to the Minister of Public Works. From World War II onwards to 1973 (renamed Chief Architect ...

Thomas Seaton Scott Thomas Seaton Scott (16 August 1826 – 15 or 16 June 1895) was an English-born Canadian architect. Born in Birkenhead, England he immigrated to Canada as a young man first settling in Montreal. He was hired by the Grand Trunk Railway and worke ...

for Department of Works as a workshop to maintain buildings on Parliament Hill. Modified by

Thomas Fuller Thomas Fuller (baptised 19 June 1608 – 16 August 1661) was an English churchman and historian. He is now remembered for his writings, particularly his ''Worthies of England'', published in 1662, after his death. He was a prolific author, and ...

from 1882 onwards it was shared by the Supreme Court and

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (french: Musée des beaux-arts du Canada), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the ...

for six years until the former became the only tenant. Prior to 1882, the Supreme Court conducted their business in various committee rooms on

, including the Railway Committee Room. The court finally got a permanent home within a decade of its creation. The first building for the Supreme Court was built on Bank Street near Parliament. The design was considered quaint and was less elegant than other government buildings in Ottawa. Although similar in design to the

West Block The West Block (officially the Western Departmental Building; french: Édifice administratif de l'ouest) is one of the three buildings on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, Ontario. Since 28 January 2019, it has housed the interim House of Commons Cham ...

and the

East Block The East Block (officially the Eastern Departmental Building; french: Édifice administratif de l'est) is one of the three buildings on Canada's Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, Ontario, containing offices for parliamentarians, as well as some preser ...

, it was a more subdued modern

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

design. After the Supreme Court moved to its new site to the west of Parliament in 1949, this building was demolished in 1955 after it was condemned as a fire hazard. It is the only building on Parliament Hill to be demolished.Reconstruction, 1916–1965
Archived from th

The site is currently a parking lot and vehicle screening facility for

References

External links

Creation and Beginnings of the Court
Archived from th
original
Supreme Court of Canada Federal government buildings in Ottawa Courthouses in Canada Demolished buildings and structures in Ottawa History of Ottawa Legal history of Canada Gothic Revival architecture in Ottawa 1874 establishments in Ontario 1955 disestablishments in Ontario Buildings and structures demolished in 1955 {{coord , 45.4227, N, 75.7023, W, display=title