Creating a Capital / Créer une Capitale

English: , In the 1890s, when Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier spoke of making Ottawa a "Washington of the North," he was building on the idea that a national capital could be consciously created. In the early 20th century, Canada's government struggled to articulate a new architectural style for the Capital, one that would be distinct from American and older British models., The Parliament Buildings and the Connaught Building (in front of you) represent early attempts to develop this "Capital style." The Château Laurier, a commercial building more in the French style, with its characteristic blending of English and French elements, had an even greater influence on the Capital's architecture., In Pursuit of Grandeur , At the turn of the 20th century, architects , public and private , were looking back to the great architectural traditions of Europe for inspiration. Some laboured, for example, to reproduce the massive self-confidence of the Elizabethan fortress (as in the Connaught Building, in front of you); others played with the lyrical romanticism of Loire Valley châteaux (Château Laurier). Variations on these styles are reflected in many buildings in the Capital., Making His Mark , Architect David Ewart, a great exponent of the British tradition, worked for the Department of Public Works for 43 years. In 1897, he was named chief architect of the department. In that position, in the early 20th century, Ewart designed the Connaught Building, among others, and put an indelible stamp on the Capital., The British Tradition , Neo-Gothic, Tudor, Scottish baronial buildings by David Ewart, Dominion Observatory (1900) . Central Experimental Farm , Royal Canadian Mint (1908) . Sussex Drive , Victoria Memorial Museum (1912) . Canadian Museum of Nature, The French Tradition , Château style, Château Laurier (1912) . by Ross and MacFarlane , Central Post Office (1937) . by W. E. Noffke , Supreme Court of Canada (1939) . by Ernest Cormier,