West Block

West Block
West Block in 2002
Map
General information
Architectural styleVictorian High Gothic
Town or cityOttawa, Ontario
CountryCanada
Coordinates45°25′24″N 75°42′02″W / 45.4232°N 75.7005°W / 45.4232; -75.7005
Construction started1859
Completed1865
ClientThe King in Right of the United Kingdom (1866)
The Queen in Right of Canada (1878)
The King in Right of Canada (1906)
OwnerThe King in Right of Canada
Technical details
Structural systemLoad bearing masonry construction
Design and construction
Architect(s)Thomas Stent and Augustus Laver

The West Block (officially the Western Departmental Building;[1] 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 Chamber, installed to accommodate the House while the Centre Block is closed. The West Block also houses offices for parliamentarians, a branch of the Library of Parliament, committee rooms, and some preserved pre-Confederation spaces.

Built in the Victorian High Gothic style, the West Block has been extended twice since its original completion in 1865. Though not as renowned as the Centre Block of parliament, the West Block appears on the obverse of the Canadian five-dollar bill.

  1. ^ Phillips, R. A. J. (1982). "The House That History Built". Canadian Parliamentary Review. 5 (1). Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 4 January 2009.