West Block | |
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![]() West Block in 2002 | |
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General information | |
Architectural style | Victorian High Gothic |
Town or city | Ottawa, Ontario |
Country | Canada |
Coordinates | 45°25′24″N 75°42′02″W / 45.4232°N 75.7005°W |
Construction started | 1859 |
Completed | 1865 |
Client | The King in Right of the United Kingdom (1866) The Queen in Right of Canada (1878) The King in Right of Canada (1906) |
Owner | The King in Right of Canada |
Technical details | |
Structural system | Load bearing masonry construction |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Thomas Stent and Augustus Laver |
The West Block (officially the Western Departmental Building;[1] French: Édifice administratif de l'ouest) is one of the three buildings on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, Ontario. Since 28 January 2019, it has housed the interim House of Commons Chamber, installed to accommodate the House while the Centre Block is closed. The West Block also houses offices for parliamentarians, a branch of the Library of Parliament, committee rooms, and some preserved pre-Confederation spaces.
Built in the Victorian High Gothic style, the West Block has been extended twice since its original completion in 1865. Though not as renowned as the Centre Block of parliament, the West Block appears on the obverse of the Canadian five-dollar bill.