Former Archives Building, Ottawa, Ontario

This handsome Tudor-Gothic building was built between 1904 and 1906, to plans by David Ewart, Chief Architect of the Department of Public Works (1897-1914). The Former Archives Building was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1990 for its role as the home of the first permanent Canadian archives. It was one of a number of federal buildings constructed during this period in a modern Gothic style that would complement the Parliament Buildings, part of a conscious effort to transform Ottawa from a lumber town to a national capital.

The construction of a secure permanent, fire-proof, facility to collect, preserve, and study the nation’s records reflected a growing sense of a distinct Canadian identity and an increasing interest among Canadians in the country’s history. Fire was a major concern as reflected in the materials used – steel, iron, concrete, fire-retardant brick and terra cotta. But the overall image of the building was equally important. Though initially intended to be of brick construction, estimates were revised to allow for the use of stone even though the cost of the building would have to be increased by 25 per cent. The new archives were to be “an ornament to the city and a credit to the government”.

The Former Archives Building is designed in the Tudor-Gothic style. The castle-like crenellation of the original portion is comprised of an openwork, trefoil pattern with regularly-spaced, carved crests. The rough-faced Nepean sandstone walls are set off by smooth-faced limestone trim. The main entrance is given visual weight and substance by the use of false, non-structural, buttresses. The building received a three-storey addition in 1924-25 which is designed in a similar style.

This handsome building, prominently located on Sussex Drive, helped fulfill former Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier’s vision of transforming Ottawa from an industrious lumber town into a prestigious capital city with requisite cultural and civic amenities and institutions. Under Laurier’s direction, Chief Architect Ewart supervised the design of four major federal buildings in the Tudor-Gothic style, which included the Former Archives Building as well as the Connaught Building (1913-1916), the Royal Canadian Mint (1905-1911), and the former Victoria Memorial Museum (1905-1911), which helped create a federal identity in Canada’s capital.

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