Description of Historic Place

Prominently situated opposite Parliament Hill, the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council is one of the finest federal examples of a Second Empire office building. A robust, three-and-a-half stories high, its limestone pavilion massing, rows of round arched windows and copper mansard roof are complimented by a rich decorative vocabulary. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council has been designated a Classified heritage property because of its historical associations with the growth of the new federal government in the first decades following Confederation, and because of its impressive architectural design and craftsmanship. The building marked an important first phase in the expansion of the government precinct beyond the boundaries of Parliament Hill, and continues to be a major element in establishing the institutional and ceremonial character of its urban environment.

Sources:
Ian Doull, Langevin Block, Ottawa, Ontario, Federal Heritage Building Review Office Building Report 87-040.

The Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council, Ottawa, Ontario, Heritage Character Statement, 87-040.

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of this property include

-its well-designed and richly detailed exterior, executed in the Second Empire style, with traces of the Romanesque influence;
-the highly articulated, symmetrical façades;
-the characteristic mansard roofs, which were used to emphasize the three-dimensional quality of the silhouette;
-the central entrance pavilion and two end pavilions, with recessed façades between;
-the end façades, which continue the vocabulary of the front elevation, but are asymmetrical, due in part to the irregularities of the site.
-the layout, finishes and decorative treatments of its interior;
-the richness and general symmetry of the north elevation, which is notable particularly for its entrance lobby, staircase, and corridors;
-the prominence of its siting.