Langevin Block

The Langevin Block is an office building facing Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada. As the home of the Privy Council Office and Office of the Prime Minister, it is the working headquarters of the executive branch of the Canadian government. Accordingly, the term "Langevin Block" is sometimes used as a metonym for the Prime Minister's Office.

Overview

While the offices of senior Privy Council Office officials remain in the Langevin Block, its use is now largely limited to the Prime Minister's Office, where the Prime Minister maintains his or her personal office, in addition to his or her office in the Centre Block of the parliament buildings.

Completed in 1889, the block was the first federal government office building constructed outside the Parliament Hill precinct. It occupies a prominent place on Ottawa's Wellington Street, adjacent to the National War Memorial, Chateau Laurier, Government Conference Centre, Rideau Canal, National Arts Centre, and the Sparks Street Mall. Originally named the Southwest Departmental Building, its current name comes from Sir Hector-Louis Langevin, the Public Works Minister in the Cabinet of Sir John A. Macdonald.

The structure is distinctive in Ottawa for its Second Empire Style design, when most government buildings from the period were in Gothic Revival style. It was designed by Chief Dominion Architect Thomas Fuller, who also did the original Parliament Buildings.

References

* "Exploring Ottawa: an architectural guide to the nation's capital." Harold Kalman and John Roaf. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1983.
* "Ottawa: a guide to heritage structures" City of Ottawa, Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee; managing editor, Lucy Corbin. 2001

External links

[http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/index.asp?lang=eng&page=dyk-svq The Langevin Block from Yesterday to Today]