GALLERY ENTRY

Public Archives and National Library Building

“The home of two of the Nation’s pre-eminent cultural institutions and a manifestation of their union, the Public Archives and National Library Building constitutes one of the best examples of the development and recognition of Canada’s cultural and intellectual identity. The building represents the preservation of the national collective memory, which both institutions gather and disseminate….

 A well-known work by the important architectural firm of Mathers and Haldenby and contributions by famous artists Hutton, Comfort and Pellan, the Public Archives and National Library Building is a high quality achievement in both its aesthetic and functional design. Aesthetically, it is a hybrid of two tendencies, balancing remnants of federal classical modernism with Modernism’s new trends, both of which it handles with sophistication and refinement, resulting in a modern, functionalist, rational appearance, which has retained a remarkably high level of integrity….  High quality materials and close attention given to all details and assemblies also contribute to the building’s aesthetic expression and create interest and diversity throughout it.

 By its prominent location and design, the Public Archives and National Library Building reinforces the federal presence and prestigious institutional character of the west end of Wellington Street and the federal precinct.”

 -Andrew M. Waldron, Public Archives and National Library Building, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Building Report 04-027; Public Archives and National Library Building, Ottawa, Ontario, Heritage Character Statement, 04-027.