Colonial Building
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Colonial Building | |
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General information | |
Architectural style | Neoclassical |
Location | Military Road St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador |
Country | Canada |
Coordinates | 47°34′15.34″N 52°42′24.44″W / 47.5709278°N 52.7067889°W |
Construction started | 24 May 1847 |
Cost | £18,335 |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | James Purcell |
Engineer | Patrick Keough |
The Colonial Building is a historic government building located in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The building was the home of the colonial and later provincial Newfoundland government and the House of Assembly from January 28, 1850 to July 28, 1959. In 1974, it was declared a Provincial Historic Site.
In 1832 when the
On May 24, 1847, the cornerstone was laid by the Governor, Major-General Sir John Gaspar Le Marchant. The official opening of the Colonial Building took place on January 28, 1850, by Governor Le Marchant for the second session of the House's fourth general assembly.
Construction
In 1880 Alexander Pindikowski, a Polish fresco painter, then serving a 15-month prison sentence for forgery received a one-month reduction in his sentence for the immaculate fresco painting work he completed at both Colonial Building and Government House.
Worthy of note is the fact that the governing party had chosen to sit on the left side of the
Historic events
It was the site where
It was also the site of a number of political riots and disturbances. One of those was the public protest on April 5, 1932, for maladministration and corruption in government when all the windows were broken, doors smashed and furniture destroyed, which cost $10,000 to repair. The prime minister, Sir Richard Squires, barely escaped the building at that time.
The building was also the site of Newfoundland's first bank robbery, in 1850. Besides the legislative chambers, the Colonial Building contained offices, apartments for the caretaker and legislative librarian, and the Newfoundland Savings Bank. On the night of November 30, 1850, thieves broke in to the Colonial Treasurer's office through a ground floor window and stole £413 from an iron chest belonging to the Savings Bank. A £100 reward and pardon to accomplices was offered for information leading to an arrest. Two men, James Kavanagh and Michael Whelan, were caught, convicted and most of the money was recovered. Legislative librarian Sarah Perchard eventually received the reward, after petitioning the Governor .[2]
On July 28, 1959, the provincial legislature had its last working session in the building before relocating to the newly completed
Restoration
From 2010 to 2015 restoration work in the interior of building will be undertaken to stabilize and restore the ceilings of the two chambers.[3][4]
The front facade and interior lobby area will be restored to the period during the 1850s.[4] This means that the building will be closed to visitors until the renovations are complete.
Current tenants
The Department of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development currently has its Provincial Historic Sites of Newfoundland and Labrador offices located in the Colonial Building. Since late-2005, there are also three other
References
- ^ a b "Newfoundland and Labrador's first House of Assembly was a bad tenant | Saltwire".
- ISBN 0-9693422-1-7.
- ^ "October 2013".
- ^ a b "Newfoundland's historic Colonial Building to undergo restoration – Daily Commercial News". Archived from the original on 2013-12-15. Retrieved 2013-12-15.