Second Supreme Court of Canada building

Second Supreme Court of Canada building
The old Supreme Court building
General information
Architectural style	Gothic Revival
Coordinates	45.4227°N 75.7023°W / 45.4227; -75.7023
Completed	1874
Renovated	1882
Demolished	1955
Owner	Government of Canada
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Thomas Seaton Scott renovated by Thomas Fuller

The Second Supreme Court of Canada building sat to the west of Parliament Hill in Ottawa and was home to the Supreme Court of Canada from 1882 to 1945. The building was demolished in 1955 and the area became a parking lot and vehicle screening facility for Parliament Hill.

History

Built in 1874, it was built by Chief Dominion Architect Thomas Seaton Scott for Department of Works as a workshop to maintain buildings on Parliament Hill.

The interior of the Second Supreme Court of Canada building in 1890.

In 1882, the Supreme Court of Canada moved into permanent accommodations in the refurbished building located at the southwest corner of the West Block on Parliament Hill, facing Bank Street. Originally constructed in 1873 as workshops and stables for the government, the building was designed by Chief Dominion Architect Thomas Seaton Scott. It was renovated in 1881 by Thomas Fuller for use by the Supreme Court. From 1882 until 1887, the Court shared the building with the National Art Gallery. Despite its new home, members of the Court made numerous complaints about the facility, including a persistent "dreadful smell", poor ventilation, cramped space, a lack of offices, and its inconvenient distance from the Library of Parliament.

In 1890, a new wing was constructed to the north of the building which nearly doubled the size of the courthouse facilities by adding a basement, two additional storeys, and an attic. The Supreme Court continued to occupy this building until 1949, when it moved to a purpose-built structure on Wellington Street, west of Parliament.

Prior to 1882, the Supreme Court conducted their business in various committee rooms on Parliament Hill, 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 and the East Block, it was a more subdued modern Gothic Revival 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.

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

Further reading

• Bushnell, Ian (1992). Captive Court: A Study of the Supreme Court of Canada. McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 978-0-7735-0851-4.
• Snell, James G.; Vaughan, Frederick (1985). The Supreme Court of Canada: History of the Institution. Toronto: The Osgoode Society. ISBN 978-0-8020-3417-5.

External links

• Creation and Beginnings of the Court. Archived from the original