Government of Canada Names Heritage Building in Honour of Our First Prime Minister
(firmenpresse) - OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 01/11/12 -- Pierre Poilievre, Member of Parliament for Nepean-Carleton and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, on behalf of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, announced today that the former Bank of Montreal building, located at 144 Wellington Street in Ottawa, will be named the Sir John A. Macdonald Building in honour of Canada's first prime minister.
"As Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald played an instrumental role in forming our great country. It is a fitting tribute to name this building, which faces Parliament Hill, in his honour, on his 197th birthday," said Minister Ambrose. "The Sir John A. Macdonald Building will serve to celebrate his important legacy and play host to events that will continue to shape our country as we move forward as a nation."
"Sir John A. Macdonald's role in the genesis of our nation parallels his influence in shaping its capital city," said Parliamentary Secretary Poilievre. "In addition to honouring his role in the creation and development of our great nation, the naming of the Sir John A. Macdonald Building pays homage to his influence on the transformation of Ottawa from its beginnings as a logging town to a world-class capital."
The choice of Sir John A. Macdonald acknowledges his significant contributions as a Father of Confederation and highlights his central role in shaping many of our national institutions, such as creating the Canadian Pacific Railway and the first Canadian national park in Banff, Alberta, as well as the Northwest Mounted Police, the predecessor to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The Crown-owned building was designated a "Classified" federal heritage building in 1986, the highest heritage designation possible, and is the first Government of Canada building to be named after Sir John A. Macdonald. The Government of Canada has begun preparatory work for its complete heritage restoration. Once completed, the building will permanently serve as the Confederation Room to host ceremonial events and large meetings for Parliament, replacing Room 200 of the West Block, which previously performed this function before it was closed for restoration.
The rehabilitation and construction work for this important heritage building is scheduled to be completed by 2015.
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Backgrounder :
Sir John A. Macdonald Building - 144 Wellington Street (former Bank of Montreal Building)
Sir John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald was Canada's first prime minister and held the office for two terms, serving from July 1, 1867, to November 5, 1873, and again from October 17, 1878, to June 6, 1891.
He was born on January 11, 1815, in Glasgow, Scotland, and died on June 6, 1891, in Ottawa, Ontario. Sir John A. Macdonald was a lawyer by profession and first sat as a Member of Parliament in 1867.
In addition to being Prime Minister he served as Canada's Minister of Justice and Attorney General from 1867 to 1873. He was Leader of the Opposition from 1873 to 1878.
Key accomplishments of his political career include being a Father of Confederation and seeing the provinces of Manitoba, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island join Confederation. He was an important figure in the creation of the Canadian Pacific Railway from 1871 to 1885 and in the establishment of the Northwest Mounted Police in 1873. Sir John A. Macdonald was also behind the development of Canada's first national park in Banff, Alberta, in 1885. (source: pm.gc.ca)
To read more about Sir John A. Macdonald, please see Library and Archives Canada's website at .
The 144 Wellington Street building
The 144 Wellington Street building was built between 1930 and 1932 by the Bank of Montreal. The bank owned the building until it was purchased by the federal government in 1973 and was the sole tenant until it was vacated in June 2005.
As a tribute to Sir John A. Macdonald, the Government of Canada re-named the 144 Wellington Street building after him on his birthday, January 11.
The building's architecture is a significant example of Modern Classicism that combines sophisticated Art Deco styling with traditional Beaux-Arts planning. It received a classified heritage designation, the highest heritage designation a building can be assigned, in 1986 because of its superior work of architecture and its contribution to both Wellington and Sparks streets.
The 144 Wellington Street building is in need of restoration and system upgrades in order to extend its life. The rehabilitation of this important heritage building is part of the Long Term Vision and Plan for the Parliamentary Precinct. The rehabilitation project will include full heritage restoration of the building, replacement and upgrading of the existing building systems (building envelope conservation, structural and seismic upgrades, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, life safety modernization), as well as interior refurbishment.
The project will also include the construction of an addition that will provide enhanced visitor circulation; and functional and building support spaces, including a multipurpose room, security screening area, washrooms, coatrooms, food services, loading facilities and mechanical rooms.
Construction on this important heritage building is slated to begin in early 2012 and will be completed by 2015.
For more information about the rehabilitation project for the Sir John A Macdonald Building, please see the backgrounder:
Ce texte est egalement disponible en francais.
Contacts:
Michelle Bakos
Office of the Honourable Rona Ambrose
819-956-9549
Media Relations
Public Works and Government Services Canada
819-956-2315
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Datum: 11.01.2012 - 12:30 Uhr
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