The Wellington Building is a

Beaux-Arts architecture Beaux-Arts architecture ( , ) was the academic architectural style taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, particularly from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century. It drew upon the principles of French neoclassicism, but also incorp ...

office building An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific dut ...

Ottawa, Ontario 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 ...

, Canada. It was built between 1924 and 1927 as Canadian headquarters of the

Metropolitan Life Insurance Company MetLife, Inc. is the holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), better known as MetLife, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, annuities, and employee benefit programs, wi ...

. The original structure was designed by D. Everett Waid; in 1959, the more restrained classical east wing of the building was added. The Building is located just south of the Parliament buildings at the intersection of Wellington Street and Bank Street with its southern face on

Sparks Street Sparks Street (''French:'' Rue Sparks) is a pedestrian mall in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was a main street in Ottawa that was converted into an outdoor pedestrian street in 1967, making it the earliest such street or mall in Canada.

. It remained the home of Met Life until 1970 when the company moved to a new building to the south. It was bought by the federal government, and used as offices and for a time the home of the

Canadian Postal Museum The Canadian Postal Museum (CPM) was a museum once housed within the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec. It was described by the Smithsonian Museum as being one of the five largest postal museums in the world, ranking second in ann ...

. In 1984 a shortage of office space for the MPs resulted in some of them being moved to the building. This was the first time MPs had been housed outside of Parliament Hill. Since its rehabilitation in 2016, the building is occupied by the House of Commons and serves several parliamentary functions.

Heritage value

The Wellington Building (formerly the Metropolitan Life Assurance Building) was built in 1925–27 to designs by D. Everett Waid, architect, of New York; J.A. Ewart, Ottawa, associated architect. In 1957-58 two storeys were added to the original building, and in 1958-59 a six-storey wing was added to the east, both to designs by Marani and Morris, architects, Toronto. Public Works Canada is the custodian of the building. In January, 1987, the building was designated Recognized by Canada's

Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office The Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office (FHBRO) was established in 1982 after the Government of Canada adopted an internal policy on managing heritage buildings. Today, federal heritage is incorporated into the Government of Canada's Treasury ...

because of its sophisticated Beaux Arts design and its environmental importance. It is valuable both for its strong contribution to the formality of Wellington Street opposite Parliament, and for the sensitivity to the modest commercial proportions of Sparks Street visible in its "back" façade. Historically, the building there of the Canadian headquarters of a large American firm coincides with the emergence of Ottawa as a regional commercial centre. The building was a deliberate example of advanced thinking concerning efficient office planning for clerical "factories" and a concern for health in the workplace.

2010-2016 Rehabilitation

Mosaic_Ceiling_in_Wellington_Building_-image_3

In 2010, the building was closed for extensive rehabilitation work, which included asbestos abatement, seismic reinforcement, and the modernization of its interior spaces and systems to accommodate MP Offices, committee rooms and a library.

Historic preservation Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK), is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philos ...

work included the conservation and restoration of the building's significant heritage features, such as the valuable Byzantine-style mosaic in its vestibule, and the long-lost decorative cast iron canopy on Wellington Street. Work was completed in the spring of 2016.

References

*''Exploring Ottawa: an architectural guide to the nation's capital.'' Harold Kalman and John Roaf. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1983. *''Ottawa: a guide to heritage structures'' City of Ottawa, Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee; managing editor, Lucy Corbin. 2001 *http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/ottawas-landmark-wellington-building-restored-to-1927-glory *http://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/citeparlementaire-parliamentaryprecinct/rehabilitation/wellington-eng.html *http://www.contractdesign.com/projects/civic-public/Interiors-Awards-2017-Restoration-New-Interior-40209.shtml *http://evoqarchitecture.com/en/the-wellington-building/ *''FHBRO Heritage Character Statement: ''http://historicplaces.ca/media/12905/1985-031(e)wellingtonbuilding.pdf {{Parliament Hill Office buildings completed in 1927 Federal government buildings in Ottawa Neoclassical architecture in Canada