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British Columbia Parliament Buildings

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The British Columbia Parliament Buildings are located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and serve as the seat of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The Speaker and the Sergeant-At-Arms are amongst those responsible for the legislative precincts, which by statute include the Parliament Buildings. The Neo-Baroque buildings face north on Belleville street facing the Inner Harbour and diagonally across from The Empress Hotel. A large statue of Queen Victoria stands on the front lawn as well a statue of a soldier to commemorate the province's World War I, World War II and Korean War dead. Atop the central dome is a gold-covered statue of Captain George Vancouver. Free tours of the facility are offered throughout the week.

1 History
2 Mural controversy
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

History

Construction of a new Parliament Building was first authorized by an act of the provincial legislature in 1893, the Parliament Buildings Construction Act. The province, anxious to show its growing economic, social and political status, was engaged in an architectural competition to build a new legislative building in Victoria, after the previous wooden building (colloquially known as "The Birdcages") was destroyed by fire in 1895. Francis Rattenbury, a recent English immigrant entered and signed his drawings with the pseudonym "A B.C. Architect", eventually winning the competition, despite being only 25 years old.

The main block of the Parliament Buildings combines Baroque details with Romanesque Revival rustication.

Despite many problems, including going over-budget by C$400,000, the British Columbia Legislative Building was officially opened in 1898^[1]. The grand scale of its 500-ft (152-m) long andesite façade^[2], central dome and two end pavilions, the richness of its white marble, and combination of Baroque rigourous 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 new province. Its success garnered Rattenbury many more commissions in Victoria and other parts of the province, including additional buildings adjacent to the main facility in 1913-1915 and the design of The Empress Hotel. Besides the elected Members of the Legislative Assembly, two organizations have been granted the privilege of using the Legislative Chambers during the legislature's December recess: the British Columbia Youth Parliament (since 1924, except during its sessions in the late 1940s and early 1950s) and the British Columbia Universities' Model Parliament. During the 1994 Commonwealth Games, free music concerts were held on the front lawns of the buildings, attracting up to 40,000 people.

Mural controversy

In April 2007, members of the legislature voted to remove murals in the legislature lobby which depict scenes of B.C. history from 1792 to 1843. Artist George Southwell was commissioned to paint them in 1932 and they were completed three years later. ^[3] At issue is the depiction of west coast first nations' people in a manner some regard as degrading. One painting titled Labour portrays bare-breasted aboriginal women hauling timber while a white man looks on. Another titled Justice shows a native leader standing before a judge. One interpretation of this latter mural suggests that the judge in question is the famous 'hanging judge', Matthew Begbie, suggesting the subjugation of natives to colonial law. However, Southwell's daughter claims that her father depicted the native leader standing before another judge, this one who in fact championed native rights. Chief Ed John (himself a former cabinet minister in a prior New Democrat government) has said that the murals remind him of how some traders treated First Nations women — not much better than prostitutes.^[4] Three of 71 members of the legislature voted against the motion to endorse a proposal to bring down the murals. Since the murals are painted on to the walls of the rotunda, the cost of removing them was estimated at C$280,000. ^[5] The original 1991 report, first commissioned by the former New Democrat government, calls for the murals to be moved to a museum location where they can be put into better historical perspective.