Province House (Prince Edward Island)

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Province House
282 - Birthplace of Canada Charlottetown PEI.JPG
Province House is Prince Edward Island's provincial legislature and a National Historic Site
Province House (Prince Edward Island)
General information
Architectural style Roman/Greek Revival
Address165 Richmond Street
Town or city Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Country Canada
Construction started1843
Inaugurated1847
Design and construction
Architect(s)Isaac Smith
Official nameProvince House National Historic Site of Canada
Designated1973
TypeDesignated Heritage Place
Designated2004

Province House is where the Prince Edward Island Legislature, known as the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, has met since 1847. The building is located at the intersection of Richmond and Great George Streets in Charlottetown; it is Canada's second-oldest seat of government. [1]

Contents

History

The cornerstone was laid in May 1843 and the building commenced operation for the first time in January 1847. The entire structure was built for a cost of £10,000 and was designed by Isaac Smith. Smith was a self-trained architect from Yorkshire, who also designed the residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island. It was built by Island craftsmen during a time of prosperity for the colony. Its architectural lines include Greek and Roman influences, common to public buildings in North America built during this era.

From September 1–7, 1864, Province House had an important role in helping Prince Edward Island host the Charlottetown Conference which resulted in Canadian Confederation.

In 1973, Parks Canada approached the government of Prince Edward Island with a proposal for joint management and restoration of the structure in recognition of its important role in Canadian history. Under the ensuing agreement, both parties agreed to a 99-year period of joint management. Parks Canada paid for a C$3.5 million restoration from 1979–1983 which involved part of the building being restored to the 1864 period. The provincial legislature occupies one end of the building, whereas the restored Confederation Chamber displays the room where the Charlottetown Conference meetings occurred.

Confederation Chamber within Province House, August 2011 Confederation Chamber within Province House PEI.jpg
Confederation Chamber within Province House, August 2011

On April 20, 1995, a powerful pipe bomb exploded beneath a wooden wheelchair ramp on the north side of Province House, destroying glass in windows and causing some minor structural damage. Several passersby were injured and the explosion occurred only five minutes after an entire class of school children on a tour of the building had passed through the area. The bombing occurred only one day after the Oklahoma City bombing and is considered to be a copycat action. Responsibility was claimed by a group calling itself Loki 7; however, a subsequent police investigation and criminal court case blamed a single individual, Roger Charles Bell.

Province House National Historic Site

Province House was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1973. [2] It is one of only three provincial legislative buildings, along with Province House in Halifax and the Saskatchewan Legislative Building in Regina, to be so designated. Province House is also designated under the provincial Heritage Places Protection Act. [3]

Visitors can tour the 1860s period rooms, which include displays about the Charlottetown Conference, the building and the Provincial Legislative Assembly. An audio-visual presentation about the Conference is available, titled "A Great Dream".

2015 Restoration

In 2015, Province House was closed for repairs and conservation work, expected to take several years, with the legislature moved to the adjacent Hon. George Coles Building. [4] Parks Canada confirmed in May 2023 that repairs had been delayed, and it would not reopen that year as planned. [5] The work was to replace outdated mechanical systems, address accessibility, and restore interior finishes. Through mid 2023, costs for the project stood at C$91.8 million dollars with work still incomplete. [6] In November 2023, Charlottetown MP Sean Casey announced an additional C$46 million which was expected to complete the last two phases of construction. This brought the total cost of the project to C$138 million. [7]

When Province House closed, the nearby Confederation Centre of the Arts opened a replica of the Confederation Chamber to allow visitors and students to experience the room. The Centre announced October 2, 2024, that the replica would close October 31 to allow some items to move back for the reopening of the original chamber in 2025. During the time it was open, the replica has hosted 160,000 guests. [8]

Monuments and memorials

In front of the Grafton Street entrance is the Charlottetown Veterans Memorial which depicts three soldiers. The bronze memorial by G. W. Hill commemorated the dead from the World War I and was dedicated 16 July 1925. Later inscriptions were added for World War II and the Korean War. [9] In 2014, an additional inscription was added to commemorate those lost in the Afghanistan War. [10]

A Boer War Memorial by Hamilton MacCarthy was erected to honour the members of the Royal Canadian Regiment on the side of legislature.

A series of plaques commemorating the province's Fathers of Confederation are found along the northeast side of the building:

A small statue of Eckhart the Mouse from David Weale's children's story The True Meaning of Crumbfest is also located on the grounds of legislature. It was one of nine such statues placed around the city in 2009 to encourage students to explore historic sites in the area. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Edward Island</span> Province of Canada

Prince Edward Island is an island province of Canada. While it is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", "Birthplace of Confederation" and "Cradle of Confederation". Its capital and largest city is Charlottetown. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Provinces and territories of Canada</span> Top-level subdivisions of Canada

Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North America—New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the Province of Canada —united to form a federation, becoming a fully independent country over the next century. Over its history, Canada's international borders have changed several times as it has added territories and provinces, making it the world's second-largest country by area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Confederation</span> 1867 unification of Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick

Canadian Confederation was the process by which three British North American provinces—the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick—were united into one federation, called the Dominion of Canada, on July 1, 1867. This process occurred in accordance with the rising tide of Canadian nationalism that was then beginning to swell within these provinces and others. Upon Confederation, Canada consisted of four provinces: Ontario and Quebec, which had been split out from the Province of Canada, and the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The province of Prince Edward Island, which had hosted the first meeting to consider Confederation, the Charlottetown Conference, did not join Confederation until 1873. Over the years since Confederation, Canada has seen numerous territorial changes and expansions, resulting in the current number of ten provinces and three territories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quebec Conference, 1864</span> Conference on Canadian confederation

The Quebec Conference was held from October 10 to 24, 1864, to discuss a proposed Canadian confederation. It was in response to the shift in political ground when the United Kingdom and the United States had come very close to engaging in war with each other. Therefore, the overall goal of the conference was to elaborate on policies surrounding federalism and creating a single state, both of which had been discussed at the Charlottetown Conference around a month earlier. Canada West leader John A. Macdonald requested Governor-General Charles Monck to invite all representatives from the three Maritime provinces and Newfoundland to meet with the candidates who formed the United Canada to Quebec in October 1864. Although Newfoundland sent two observers, it did not participate directly in the proceedings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil McLeod (politician)</span> Canadian politician

Neil McLeod was a Prince Edward Island lawyer, judge, politician, the fifth premier, and Leader of the Opposition during the amalgamation of the Prince Edward Island legislature. He was born at Uigg on the island to Roderick McLeod and Flora McDonald, Baptist immigrants from the Isle of Skye in Scotland. He was educated at the Uigg Grammar School and in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, articled in law at Charlottetown and was called to the bar in 1873. Four years later, his marriage to the beloved Isabella Jane Adelia Hayden, the Methodist granddaughter to Irish Roman Catholic immigrant and merchant John Roach Bourke, furthered Gaelic intersections among Islander cultural enclaves. McLeod was the child of immigrants from the Isle of Skye. Between 1886-1893, transcriptions by parliamentary reporters and petition amanuenses identified him as both "Neil McLeod" and "Neil MacLeod." Reporters included his 5th Queens district next to his name in order to distinguish him from Angus MacLeod. Charlottetown dailies that reproduced passages from the transcriptions also replicated the spelling variation during this period. Historians continue to research his positions on the 1882 replacement of French-language texts with bilingual readers for French Acadians, late nineteenth-century prohibitions on Canadian Gaelic, and corporal punishment in Prince Edward Island schools. During this period, McLeod practiced law with partner Edward Jarvis Hodgson before joining the McLeod, Morson, and McQuarrie law firm. He also served as Commissioner for the Poor House and as a "trustee" to the public Prince Edward Island Hospital for the Insane, which replaced the Lunatic Asylum following a Grand Jury inquest. In 2019, mental health officer and occupational therapist Tina Pranger examined the presents and pasts of the Hillsborough Hospital, providing a summation of previous assessments of the inquest by historians and curators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick Peters</span> Canadian politician

Frederick Peters was a lawyer and Prince Edward Island politician, who served as the sixth premier of Prince Edward Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legislative Assembly of Ontario</span> Unicameral legislature of Ontario

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island</span> Single house of PEI legislature

The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island together with the lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island form the General Assembly of Prince Edward Island. The Legislative Assembly meets at Province House, which is at the intersection of Richmond and Great George Streets in Charlottetown. Bills passed by the Assembly are given royal assent by the lieutenant governor in the name of the King of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Confederation Centre of the Arts</span> Performing arts center in Prince Edward Island, Canada

Confederation Centre of the Arts is a cultural centre dedicated to the visual and performing arts located in the city of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Province House (Nova Scotia)</span> Nova Scotian legislative assembly building, Canada

Province House in Halifax is where the Nova Scotia legislative assembly, known officially as the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, has met every year since 1819, making it the longest serving legislative building in Canada. The building is Canada's oldest house of government. Standing three storeys tall, the structure is considered one of the finest examples of Palladian architecture in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Kelly (Canadian politician)</span> Canadian politician

Francis Kelly was a Canadian surveyor, business agent, farmer, and politician, noted for his long service as a member of the government of Prince Edward Island (PEI), and as an advocate for Catholic issues on PEI during the period of Canadian Confederation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government House (Alberta)</span>

Government House is the former official residence of the lieutenant governors of Alberta. Located in Edmonton's Glenora neighbourhood, since 1964 the restored and repurposed building has been used by the Alberta provincial government for ceremonial events, conferences, and some official meetings of the caucus.

The politics of Prince Edward Island are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces. The capital of the province of Prince Edward Island is Charlottetown, where the lieutenant governor and the premier reside, and where the provincial legislature and cabinet are located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ardgowan, Prince Edward Island</span> National Historic Site of Canada

Ardgowan is a National Historic Site of Canada located in Parkdale, Prince Edward Island, currently a neighbourhood of the city of Charlottetown.

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By the arrangements of the Canadian federation, the Canadian monarchy operates in Prince Edward Island as the core of the province's Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. As such, the Crown within Prince Edward Island's jurisdiction is referred to as the Crown in Right of Prince Edward Island, His Majesty in Right of Prince Edward Island, or the King in Right of Prince Edward Island. The Constitution Act, 1867, however, leaves many royal duties in Prince Edward Island specifically assigned to the sovereign's viceroy, the lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island, whose direct participation in governance is limited by the conventional stipulations of constitutional monarchy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Park, Charlottetown</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlottetown</span> Capital city of Prince Edward Island, Canada

Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlottetown was an unincorporated town until it was incorporated as a city in 1855.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Charlottetown</span>

The History of Charlottetown can be traced back to the original French military settlement established on the site in 1720. Over the years Charlottetown has grown to become the largest and most important city on Prince Edward Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlottetown Boulder Park</span> Boulder park in Prince Edward Island

Charlottetown Boulder Park is an outdoor boulder park located in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The park is located on the northern side of the Honourable George Coles Building, adjacent to Province House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thrones of Canada</span> Chairs for Canadas royal and viceregal figures

The thrones of Canada are the chairs for the monarch and royal consort or governor general and viceregal consort, usually located in the Senate chamber of Parliament. There are presently two sets of thrones for the federal Parliament, the first commissioned in 1878 and currently undergoing restoration, and the second, made in 2017, in use in the temporary Senate, while the Centre Block of Parliament is under renovation. There are also thrones for the lieutenant governors representing the monarch in each provincial legislature.

References

  1. ↑ "Province House National Historic Site of Canada". Parks Canada . 15 March 2012. Archived from the original on 25 December 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ↑ Province House National Historic Site of Canada . Canadian Register of Historic Places . Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  3. ↑ Province House . Canadian Register of Historic Places . Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  4. ↑ "Visitor Information". Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island. Retrieved 20 February 2017. The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island is located in the Hon. George Coles Building at 175 Richmond Street in Charlottetown…Beginning January 1, 2015, Province House National Historic Site will be closed for 3-5 years for extensive conservation work.
  5. ↑ "Parks Canada: Renovations to historic P.E.I. legislature taking longer than expected" . Toronto Star . The Canadian Press. 8 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  6. ↑ "Another delay in Province House renovations and repairs". Ocean News . 9 May 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  7. ↑ "Another $46M to be spent on last 2 phases of Province House conservation". CBC News . 15 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  8. ↑ "Confederation Chamber Replica closing to prepare for Province House reopening" (Press release). Confederation Centre of the Arts. 2 October 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  9. ↑ "Soldiers' Monument". Veterans Affairs Canada. 6 June 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  10. ↑ "Prince Edward Island War Memorial". Historical Marker Database . 15 October 2019.
  11. ↑ "Fictional mouse banished from church grounds". CBC News. 27 November 2009.

46°14′06″N63°07′34″W / 46.234927°N 63.126084°W / 46.234927; -63.126084

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