Edifice
The Supreme Court of Canada Building is home to the Supreme Court of Canada. It also contains two court rooms used by both the Federal Court of Canada and the Federal Court of Appeal. Construction began in 1939, with the cornerstone laid by Queen Elizabeth, consort to King George VI and later Queen Mother. It was designed by Ernest Cormier. The court began hearing cases in the new building by January 1946. The building is renowned for its Art Deco details. In contrast the building's roof utilizes châteauesque styled influence. In 2000, it was named by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada as one of the top 500 buildings produced in Canada during the last millennium.
Two flagstaffs have been erected in front of the building. A flag on one is flown daily, while the other is hoisted only on those days when the court is in session. Also located on the grounds are several statues, notably:
- Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent by Erek Imredy 1976
- Two statues by Canadian sculptor Walter S. Allward:
- Statue of Veritas (Truth)
- Statue of Justitia (Justice)
Inside there are busts of several chief justices:
- John Robert Cartwright
- Bora Laskin
- Brian Dickson
- Joseph Antonio Charles Lamer
They were all sculpted by Kenneth Jarvis, Q.C.
Previous homes of Canada's top courts include:
- Railway Committee Room in the parliament buildings 1876–1889
- Old Supreme Court building on Bank Street 1889–1945
Read more about this topic: Supreme Court Of Canada
Famous quotes containing the word edifice:
“By day, Structuralists constructed the structure of meaning and pondered the meaning of structure. By night, Deconstructivists pulled the cortical edifice down. And the next day the Structuralists started in again.”
—Tom Wolfe (b. 1931)
“Imagine that it is you yourself who are erecting the edifice of human destiny with the aim of making men happy in the end, of giving them peace and contentment at last, but that to do that it is absolutely necessary, and indeed quite inevitable, to torture to death only one tiny creature, the little girl who beat her breast with her little fist, and to found the edifice on her unavenged tears—would you consent to be the architect on those conditions?”
—Feodor Dostoyevsky (1821–1881)
“A country whose buildings are of wood, can never increase in its improvements to any considerable degree.... Whereas when buildings are of durable materials, every new edifice is an actual and permanent acquisition to the state, adding to its value as well as to its ornament.”
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)