British Columbia Parliament Buildings

Birdcages

The old wooden Birdcages were drafty and leaked in the rain

From 1860 to 1898 the legislature met in a wooden building with four others, known as The Birdcages because of their shape. The province outgrew them. They were notoriously drafty and leaked in wet weather.

The contest

A 25-year-old signed his drawings A B.C. Architect and won

Francis Rattenbury, a recent English immigrant, entered the architectural competition. He signed his drawings with the pseudonym A B.C. Architect, and in the second round signed For Queen and Province. He won.

The stone

The andesite came from Haddington Island and the granite from Nelson Island

The buildings began operation in 1898 despite many problems, including exceeding the budget. The neo-Baroque façade is about 150 metres long, with a central dome, two end pavilions and white marble.

Sculpture

Charles Marega carved 14 figures for the library exterior

The 14 figures include Chief Maquinna, Captain George Vancouver and Captain James Cook. Bernard Carrier made twelve allegorical figures of women, three around each of the four domes. A gold-covered statue of Captain George Vancouver stands atop the central dome.

14figures made for the exterior of the library

The murals

Murals in the rotunda were later hidden behind false walls

In 1932 George Southwell was commissioned to paint murals in the rotunda of British Columbia history from 1792 to 1843. Decades later their depiction of Indigenous peoples came to be regarded as degrading. In April 2007 the legislature voted to remove them.