The Manitoba Legislative Building (french: Palais législatif du Manitoba), originally named the Manitoba Parliament Building, is the meeting place of the

Legislative Assembly of Manitoba The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (french: Assemblée législative du Manitoba) is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly at provincial gen ...

, located in central

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...

, as well as being the twelfth provincial heritage site of Manitoba.The History
, at the ''Legislative Tour'', Province of Manitoba. Along with the Legislative Assembly, the building also accommodates the offices for Manitoba's

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

, the

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, and the ministers and deputy ministers of provincial government departments.100 Facts for 100 Years: The Manitoba Legislative Building
" Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. 2020. The neoclassical, Beaux-Arts-style building was completed in 1920 along with its famed Golden Boy, a gold-covered bronze statue based on the style of the Roman god Mercury (Greek:

Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orat ...

) that sits at the top of the building's

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, f ...

. Standing at tall, it was designed and built by

Frank Worthington Simon Frank Lewis Worthington Simon (31 March 1862 – 19 May 1933) was a British architect working in the Arts and Crafts style. In Scotland, he was sufficiently noteworthy as to be commissioned by Queen Victoria to remodel Balmoral Castle In la ...

(1862–1933)"Frank Lewis Worthington Simon"
", at ''Dictionary of Scottish Architects''. and Henry Boddington III, along with other masons and many skilled craftsmen. With the abolition of the Legislative Council in 1876, the third building has a single chamber.

History

The current building is the third facility used by Manitoba's legislative assembly. The first was a

log structure In algebraic geometry, a log structure provides an abstract context to study semistable schemes, and in particular the notion of logarithmic differential form and the related Hodge-theoretic concepts. This idea has applications in the theory of ...

located at the residence of A.G.B. Bannatyne at Main Street and McDermot Avenue until its destruction by fire in 1873. Temporary facilities were used until 1884, when the second building was opened north of Government House, on the same grounds as the current Legislative building. With the opening of the third Legislative Building, the second building was no longer required. It was thus used as classroom space for the nearby

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba. On the site of this building was also a statue of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

which was commissioned after her death in 1904 for C$15,000. (This statue would be moved to the front of the current building's grounds.) By 1909, Manitoba sought a larger and more impressive building for its legislature, considering the province's booming economy and population that had expanded sevenfold since 1881. In its 1911 annual report, the Department of Public Works said that the "congested state of all the Departments in the Legislative Buildings renders necessary the erection of more commodious buildings at the earliest possible date." In 1911, the Manitoba government announced an architectural competition to all architects who were subjects of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

. A grand prize of C$10,000 and a commission of $100,000 was offered for the best design for the new Manitoba Legislative Building. The cost for the new building was to be $2,000,000. Of the 67 submissions,

, a former student at the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centur ...

, had his design chosen for the construction of the impressive structure.

Construction

Construction began in the summer of 1913, with excavation work beginning in July. After five days of excavation, removing of soil in 31 days, the site for the building was moved south and the terrace adjacent to the building was raised by meters (2 feet). Manitoba Tyndall stone was

quarried A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their environ ...

at Garson, Manitoba, about northeast of

. By 1914, 1,231 architectural drawings had been created for the project. On 3 June 1914, the north-east cornerstone ceremony, which was commonly done by masons, was laid by contractor Thomas Kelly. The construction of the massive building suffered setbacks, however, and would take almost 7 years to complete. Obstacles included labour and funding shortages brought on by the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, as well as labour unrest during the Winnipeg General Strike. Construction was further slowed due to Kelly stealing many of the materials to build his own house three blocks away. Such scandal would inspire a Royal Commission calling to investigate the building’s construction, subsequently bring on the resignation of a Premier Rodmond Roblin and a change of government. As result of the above circumstances in part, the building was not ready for partial occupancy until 1919. The Golden Boy was installed in November 1919. On the west side of the grounds were the Fort Osborne Barracks and Drill Shed, which were not demolished until after the Legislature was completed. Final costs of the construction would be at C$9,379,000: an itemized statement issued by the Department of Public Works included $150,000.00 for furnishings and finishings; $219,551.29 for plumbing, heating and ventilation; $157,172.72 for electrical work; and $296,023.59 for repairing defective work.

Post-construction

Government departments and staff moved into the building prior to its formal completion. Among others, the east and west ends of the North Wing had been closed in and occupied by the Comptroller-General, Game Guardian, Noxious Weeds Commissioner, and the Superintendent of Buildings and Moving Picture Censor Board. In 1917, half the basement, 3 floors in the northeast wing, and 1 in the northwest wing were occupied. Though not complete, the interior would be in enough shape that the forthcoming Legislature session could be held in the building with reasonable amount of comfort. The Assembly would therefore have its first meeting in the new building on 22 January 2019, using the new chamber until March 27th, after which it was finally decorated. In September 1919, the building was unofficially opened by the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...

during a reception held in his honour. On 15 July 1920, on the 50th anniversary of Manitoba’s entry into

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical iss ...

, opening ceremonies were performed by Sir James Aikins, then Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, a portion of the Legislature's grounds was given over to vegetable gardens. A total of 82 plots for unemployed men were laid out in the spring of 1935. On 12 May 1989, the building was designated as Manitoba Provincial Heritage Site (number 12) by Bonnie Mitchelson, the province's Minister of Culture, Heritage and Recreation.

Later events

Manitoba Legislative building exterior (J)

One of the building's many plaques, commemorating Manitoba’s entrance into confederation, went missing in October of 1974. In June 1994, work began on repairing the steps at all four entrances of the building. On 4 October 1995, Governor General

Roméo LeBlanc Roméo-Adrien LeBlanc (December 18, 1927June 24, 2009) was a Canadian journalist, politician and statesman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 25th since Canadian Confederation. LeBlanc was born and educated in New Brunswick, and also ...

officially opened the Manitoba Plaza on the south grounds of the building, commemorating the 125th anniversary of the province. The Legislative Building has been used many times as a set for films and television productions, including ''

The Diviners ''The Diviners'' is a novel by Margaret Laurence. Published by McClelland & Stewart in 1974, it was Laurence's final novel, and is considered one of the classics of Canadian literature. The novel won the Governor General's Award for English-lan ...

'' (1993) in 1990 and ''Capote'' (2005) in 2004. Along with being used as a library, the Reading Room has been used to portray a courtroom and law office. The 2003 Governor General’s New Year’s Message was recorded in the Reading Room. In the summer of 2002, the building's outer dome received new

copper sheathing Copper sheathing is the practice of protecting the under-water hull of a ship or boat from the corrosive effects of salt water and biofouling through the use of copper plates affixed to the outside of the hull. It was pioneered and developed b ...

. In 2014, the local government stressed about the state of deterioration of the building to the level of life safety concerns. Tree roots, insects and bird feces are identified as the main threats to the building's longevity. However, the cost of reconstruction today would be prohibitive, due to such factors as a shortage of skilled masons. Both the interior and exterior skylights over the Grand Staircase were replaced in 2012. In March 2015, a military hall of honour opened in the Legislative Building commemorating the Manitoba's regiments who fought World War I. In 2016, work began on the building’s first

gender-neutral Gender neutrality (adjective form: gender-neutral), also known as gender-neutralism or the gender neutrality movement, is the idea that policies, language, and other social institutions ( social structures or gender roles) should avoid disting ...

washroom (2nd floor, west side). In November 2007, Manitoba became the first legislature in the country to install an accessibility ramp at its front entrance. Nonetheless, in May 2017, Rick Hansen (CEO of the Rick Hansen Institute) criticized the accessibility of the building after Independent MA Steven Fletcher gave him an official tour. In response, the Chamber was made wheelchair accessible in that very summer. The Chamber floor was raised , front-row desks were moved forward to allow wheelchair access between the first two rows, and a ramp was installed on the opposition side of the house. The renovation received a Heritage Winnipeg Conservation Award in 2018. On 22 January 2020, the province celebrated the 100th anniversary of the first session of the Manitoba Legislature held in the Chamber of the Manitoba Legislative Building.

Material and dimensions

Tyndall stone Tyndall Stone is a registered trademark name by Gillis Quarries Ltd. Tyndall Stone is a dolomitic limestone that is quarried from the Selkirk Member of the Ordovician Red River Formation in the vicinity of Garson and Tyndall, Manitoba, Cana ...

and marbles are used throughout the building, both including such

fossils A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

as sponges,

gastropods The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. The ...

(snails),

cephalopods A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda (Greek plural , ; "head-feet") such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, a ...

(mollusks), and

trilobites Trilobites (; meaning "three lobes") are extinct marine arthropods that form the class Trilobita. Trilobites form one of the earliest-known groups of arthropods. The first appearance of trilobites in the fossil record defines the base of the A ...

. The largest fossil, found at the east

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cul ...

, is 1 m (3 ft) wide and 30 cm (1 ft) high. The estimated weight of the building, constructed with a

steel frame Steel frame is a building technique with a "skeleton frame" of vertical steel columns and horizontal I-beams, constructed in a rectangular grid to support the floors, roof and walls of a building which are all attached to the frame. The developm ...

, is 243,851,258 kg (24,000 tons). Throughout the exterior and interior of the building are examples of Fibonacci Sequence,

Golden Ratio In mathematics, two quantities are in the golden ratio if their ratio is the same as the ratio of their sum to the larger of the two quantities. Expressed algebraically, for quantities a and b with a > b > 0, where the Greek letter phi ( ...

and Sacred Geometry. There are two domes to the building: the outer dome; and an inner dome which is seen when standing in the Rotunda. A tunnel running under Winnipeg's Broadway Avenue connects the Legislative Building with the city's central powerhouse. It is part of a publicly-inaccessible system of tunnels linking other provincial government buildings with the powerhouse, which supplies heat to all these buildings.

Exterior

The total area of the building is , with a total height of above ground level, topped with a bronze statue of Roman God Mercury (Greek:

)

gilded Gilding is a decorative technique for applying a very thin coating of gold over solid surfaces such as metal (most common), wood, porcelain, or stone. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, the metal below was tradi ...

with 23.75-karat

gold leaf Gold leaf is gold that has been hammered into thin sheets (usually around 0.1 µm thick) by goldbeating and is often used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of karats and shades. The most commonly used gold is 22-kara ...

. The outer dome is supported by four compound girders that weigh 98,557 kg (97 tons) each. The Legislative grounds cover of landscaped grounds. The building rests on 421 concrete

caissons Caisson (French for "box") may refer to: * Caisson (Asian architecture), a spider web ceiling * Caisson (engineering), a sealed underwater structure * Caisson (lock gate), a gate for a dock or lock, constructed as a floating caisson * Caisson (p ...

, which pass through of glacial

Lake Agassiz Lake Agassiz was a large glacial lake in central North America. Fed by glacial meltwater at the end of the last glacial period, its area was larger than all of the modern Great Lakes combined. First postulated in 1823 by William H. Keating, i ...

clays before hitting limestone bedrock. Exterior steps were made from Butler granite quarried in Ontario. In contrast, most of the statuary uses Bedford Limestone from Indiana, which is the oldest stone in the building, dating to slightly more than 2.5 billion years ago.

Interior

The building’s floor area is , containing about . The basic floor plan of the building forms the letter ''H'' contained in a rectangle . Marbles that were used in the building contain fossils, and include

Tennessee marble Tennessee marble is a type of crystalline limestone found only in East Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. Long esteemed by architects and builders for its pinkish-gray color and the ease with which it is polished, this stone has been u ...

for flooring, Botticino marble from Italy for the Grand Staircase, and

Ordovician The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years from the end of the Cambrian Period million years ago (Mya) to the start of the Silurian Period Mya. T ...

Black Marble, likely from Vermont, for other interior decorative purposes. According to

, the building’s architect,

hardwoods Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...

used for doors and trim included birch for the basement, oak for the first and third floors, and walnut for the second floor. Moreover,

pneumatic Pneumatics (from Greek ‘wind, breath’) is a branch of engineering that makes use of gas or pressurized air. Pneumatic systems used in industry are commonly powered by compressed air or compressed inert gases. A centrally located and ...

clocks, controlled by a central clock, were installed throughout the building, and elements in the building’s electric light fixtures include clawed and cloven feet, cobras, and lion heads.

Exterior architecture and design

The building's design can be classified as a neoclassical architectural style, either Beaux-Arts or Neo-Grec.

Pediment

On the north side of the Legislative Building, above the 6

Ionic columns The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite o ...

, is the main

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...

, the figures of which were designed by Scottish sculptor Albert Hemstock Hodge and carved by the

Piccirilli Brothers The Piccirilli brothers were an Italian family of renowned marble carvers and sculptors who carved many of the most significant marble sculptures in the United States, including Daniel Chester French’s colossal ''Abraham Lincoln'' (1920) in the ...

of New York.The Exterior
, at the ''Legislative Tour'', Province of Manitoba. Above the main pediment, flanking both sides are two Egyptian

sphinx A sphinx ( , grc, σφίγξ , Boeotian: , plural sphinxes or sphinges) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon. In Greek tradition, the sphinx has the head of a woman, the haunches of ...

es facing both east and west. Carved onto a flat piece of stone, just below the chin, in Egyptian

hieroglyph A hieroglyph ( Greek for "sacred carvings") was a character of the ancient Egyptian writing system. Logographic scripts that are pictographic in form in a way reminiscent of ancient Egyptian are also sometimes called "hieroglyphs". In Neoplatoni ...

ics, is "The everlasting manifestation of the Sun God Ra, the good God who gives life." Describing its central figure as a representation of Manitoba,

wrote of the pediment:

n the left hand corner,Enterprise beckons the workers to the Land of Promise. bull isled by Europe, signifying the immigration from Europe and adjoining the central figure is a group of father, mother and child, the new family in the land. In the right hand corner are two figures embracing and clasping a jar, whence issues a stream of water. These represent the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers fertilizing the earth. Next is a
ploughman A plough or plow (Differences between American and British spellings, US; both ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses, but in modern farms are draw ...
with his horse, tilling the soil, whilst the male and female figures bring the fruits of the Soil of Manitoba.

In the bottom-left corner of the pediment is the Indolent Man, with a half-kneeling woman, the spirit of progress, beckoning the Indolent Man into the new land of promise. Next is the

goddess A goddess is a female deity. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. This includes themes ...

Europa Europa may refer to: Places * Europe * Europa (Roman province), a province within the Diocese of Thrace * Europa (Seville Metro), Seville, Spain; a station on the Seville Metro * Europa City, Paris, France; a planned development * Europa Clif ...

leading a bull, symbolizing Canada's European heritage and immigration. To the right of Europa, a man, woman and child symbolizing the colonization of a new land. Seated in the centre is Lady Manitoba with the rays of the sun behind her. Lady Manitoba closely resembles the fertility goddesses

Ishtar Inanna, also sux, 𒀭𒊩𒌆𒀭𒈾, nin-an-na, label=none is an ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, war, and fertility. She is also associated with beauty, sex, divine justice, and political power. She was originally worshiped in Su ...

and

Demeter In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Demeter (; Attic Greek, Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric Greek, Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Twelve Olympians, Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, ...

, both patron deities of agriculture. To the west is

Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 time ...

's trident symbolizing the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...

; to the east is a ship’s wheel symbolizing the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. Adjacent to Lady Manitoba are a man and a woman laden with wheat and fruit, products of the soil. Next is a muscular male figure with a team of powerful horses and a primitive plough tilling the soil. Finally in the bottom right corner are two entwined female figures representing the Red and

Assiniboine River The Assiniboine River (''; french: Rivière Assiniboine'') is a river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meandering river with a sin ...

Entrance and grounds

On the outside of the building, at the four corners of the base of the dome are representations of Agriculture, Art, Industry, and Learning, designed by William Birnie Rhind of Scotland and carved by F. A. Purdy of Vermont. Statues at both the east and west entrances were designed and carved by the Piccirilli Brothers: the east is flanked by statues of La Verendrye and Lord Selkirk; and the west, by statues of General James Wolfe and

Lord Dufferin Frederick Temple Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava (21 June 182612 February 1902) was a British public servant and prominent member of Victorian society. In his youth he was a popular figure in the court of Queen Vict ...

. On both the east and west

s sit figures representing war and peace. On the east side, with engraved images of weapons of war, are two male figures, one a native warrior with an eagle

head-dress Headgear, headwear, or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on one's head, including hats, helmets, turbans and many other types. Headgear is worn for many purposes, including protection against the elements, d ...

, another a Roman soldier, and on the west side there are two female figures for peace. Each pair guards a chest, rumoured to represent the

Ark of the Covenant The Ark of the Covenant,; Ge'ez: also known as the Ark of the Testimony or the Ark of God, is an alleged artifact believed to be the most sacred relic of the Israelites, which is described as a wooden chest, covered in pure gold, with an ...

because of the proper proportions as mentioned in the ancient Hebrew texts. At the front of the grounds was a statue of

, toppled on July 1, 2021. On the south grounds, including the fountain, the Manitoba Plaza was officially opened in commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the province. Also in this area, facing the

, sits the sculpture of Louis-Riel, leader of

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United State ...

, created by Miguel Joyal. The statue was put in place on 12 May 1996, on the 126th anniversary of the passing of '' Manitoba Act'', and it replaced an earlier statue that had stood for 24 years (which is now located at St. Boniface College). There are 6 greenhouses on the grounds, which grow 75,000 bedding plants annually with 40,000 planted on the grounds itself, and the rest distributed to other government buildings. GoldenBoyWinnipeg

The Golden Boy

Each one of the four corners of the copper dome supporting the Golden Boy has a stonework grouping representing the four elements of

alchemy Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim wo ...

, earth, air, fire and water. They are identified as

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...

, Industry and Art. The dome is above the main floor. The height of the central tower without the Golden Boy is . The statue was first installed in 1919, originally called ''Eternal Youth'', and sculpted by Parisian artist

Georges Gardet Georges Gardet (October 11, 1863 – 6 February 1939) was a French sculptor and animalier. Biography The son of a sculptor, Gardet attended the École des Beaux-Arts in the ''atelier'' of Aimé Millet and Emmanuel Fremiet (another noted ...

. The Golden Boy was last regilded and refurbished in 2002, and is illuminated by floodlights.

Interior architecture and design

The building has various empty niches where statues were planned but never installed. There are various plaques on the walls of the building commemorating events in Manitoba history.

Main entrance and the Grand Staircase

The main entrance is a perfectly square room measuring on each side, which is meant to represent the numerological number

666 666 may refer to: * 666 (number) * 666 BC, a year * AD 666, a year * The number of the beast, a reference in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament Places * 666 Desdemona, a minor planet in the asteroid belt * U.S. Route 666, an America ...

, which are all the numbers added from one to 36, which is the square of 6, in

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

geometry Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is c ...

, and

arithmetic Arithmetic () is an elementary part of mathematics that consists of the study of the properties of the traditional operations on numbers— addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, exponentiation, and extraction of roots. In the 19th ...

. Within the main entrance is the Grand Staircase, which is wide and composed of three flights of 13 steps each.The Interior
" ''Legislative Tour''. Province of Manitoba. The steps are made from Botticino marble and brown-veined Carrara marble, reportedly the finest marble in the world. Above the Grand Staircase is two skylights, an inner and an outer structure. The ceiling is made of a glass atrium to allow natural sunlight to illuminate the room. Flanking the steps are life-size North American bison, a symbol of the Province of Manitoba, meant to represent the sacred bulls that guard temple entrances. Made of solid

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids suc ...

and cast at the Roman Bronze Works in New York City, they were modelled by

, creator of the Golden Boy.Golden Boy
", at the ''Legislative Tour'', Province of Manitoba. Each bison weighs 2,268 kilograms (2½ tons). Legend has it that, to install the bison safely without damaging the marble floors, the main entrance was flooded and left to freeze. Both bison were then placed on enormous slabs of ice cut from the

and safely slid into the building. The bison are one example of

apotropaic Apotropaic magic (from Greek "to ward off") or protective magic is a type of magic intended to turn away harm or evil influences, as in deflecting misfortune or averting the evil eye. Apotropaic observances may also be practiced out of superst ...

icons in the Grand Staircase. Above the south entrance to the legislature lobby is the head of Medusa. Over the north entrance facing Medusa is the bust of

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of v ...

, Greek goddess of war, embodiment of democracy and also the protector of cities. Around the perimeter of the room are 14 lion heads and 8 cattle skulls at the edge of the ceiling. Around the second-floor balcony, lamps rise from the

balustrade A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its c ...

s, each containing 13 bulbs—12 of them around 1, representing the

Twelve Apostles In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. During the life and minist ...

and

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

. The third floor facing the Grand Staircase is supported by two pairs of

caryatids A caryatid ( or or ; grc, Καρυᾶτις, pl. ) is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term ''karyatides'' literally means "ma ...

(columns sculpted as female figures) with each figure holding a scroll and key. These figures located on the third floor were carved by the

of New York, using models prepared by

Albert Hodge Albert Hemstock Hodge (17 July 1875 – 31 December 1917 or 27 January 1918McKay, James, ''The Dictionary of Sculptors in Bronze'', Antique Collectors Club, London, 1995) was a Scottish born sculptor. Hodge was born at Port Ellen, on the island ...

of London, England.

Rotunda

The

antechamber A vestibule (also anteroom, antechamber, or foyer) is a small room leading into a larger space such as a lobby, entrance hall or passage, for the purpose of waiting, withholding the larger space view, reducing heat loss, providing storage space ...

at the head of the Grand Staircase provides a formal approach to the legislative chamber.The Rotunda
", at the ''Legislative Tour'', Province of Manitoba. Four pairs of Corinthian columns rise from the floor to the

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

surrounding the base of the rotunda, itself measuring 20 meters (64 ft) in diameter and 26 meters (84 ft) high. Within the dome above are four panels containing 5 gold rosettes. Between each pair of columns are busts of

. The floor of the dome rotunda is

bordered with black Vermont and verde antique marble. Rotundasouth

In the centre of the Rotunda is an Italian marble

across surrounding the Pool of the Black Star on the floor of the level below, a representation of the altars of the ancient Greeks. The diameter of the circle above the balustrade is also 4 meters, and both align with the Golden Boy above these. Above the doorway to the Manitoba Assembly is a mural by

Frank Brangwyn Sir Frank William Brangwyn (12 May 1867 – 11 June 1956) was a Welsh artist, painter, watercolourist, printmaker, illustrator, and designer. Brangwyn was an artistic jack-of-all-trades. As well as paintings and drawings, he produced des ...

depicting World War I. In the centre of the painting is a man in tattered rags with his left chest and arm exposed, being helped along by a comrade. Above the men are a faint depiction of

The Madonna In art, a Madonna () is a representation of Mary, either alone or with her child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word is (archaic). The Madonna and Child type is very prevalent in ...

and child.

Pool of the Black Star

The Pool of the Black Star is the room below the rotunda with four entrances and marked by 3 steps forming a circumference of the room. The room is circular with a radius of . At the centre of the floor is an 8-pointed black marble star. Directly above in alignment with the Pool of the Black Star is the dome of the building, on which the Golden Boy is mounted outside. The design of the building allows sounds from all over the building to be caught and heard in the circular room, and echoes can be heard by speaking in the room. Electric light fixtures around the circumference of the Pool of the Black Star have sea creatures on the base, and male and female heads just under the shade.

Lieutenant-Governor's Reception Room

In the east corridor of the Manitoba Legislative Building is the Lieutenant-Governor's Reception Room, used by the province's Lieutenant-Governor on state occasions to receive visiting royalty and foreign dignitaries (general public is barred from entry). During such events, scarlet-coated

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal and national police service of Canada. As poli ...

are posted on either side of the door and military aides assist the Lieutenant-Governor with official duties. Measuring in both directions, the room is panelled in black American

walnut A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true ...

inlaid with ebony and decorated with hand-carved ornaments around the ceiling and along the four corner pillars. Pictures of sovereigns grace the walls and a French gilt

chandelier A chandelier (; also known as girandole, candelabra lamp, or least commonly suspended lights) is a branched ornamental light fixture designed to be mounted on ceilings or walls. Chandeliers are often ornate, and normally use incandescent ...

hangs from the ceiling. The floor features a carpet specially hand-woven in

Donegal Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...

, Ireland. Facing across from each other on the north and south wall are two elaborate mirrors in gilt frames. Directly above the room are the two male warriors (War): one native in full eagle feathered headdress, and one Roman, guarding the representation of the

. The room’s Prince of Wales Chair is reserved for visiting royalty.

Legislative Chamber

The

and the Lieutenant Governor form the Legislature of Manitoba, the legislative branch of government in the

Province of Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly in provincial general elections, all in single-member constituencies with

first-past-the-post voting In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast the ...

.The Legislative Chamber
, at the ''Legislative Tour'', Province of Manitoba. Originally, in 1870, there were 24 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), but as the province grew in population and size, more electoral divisions were added. Winnipeg was once the third largest city in Canada, and often called 'Chicago of the North'. Electric light fixtures flanking the entrance to the chamber have sea creatures on the base, and male and female heads just under the shade. On the Chamber doors are bison escutcheons, designed by

. Although the bison were meant to face each other, only the bison facing to the left were cast, so all the bison face the same way. Above the Chamber entrance is a mural by the British artist

, who described it as an

allegory As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory t ...

of the Canadian effort in World War I. It was installed in March 1921 and underwent restoration in 2014. Murals inside the Chamber are by New York's Augustus Vincent Tack. Among the figures represented are

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

, Knowledge, and Wisdom; Tolerance &

Magnanimity Magnanimity (from Latin '' magnanimitās'', from '' magna'' "big" + '' animus'' "soul, spirit") is the virtue of being great of mind and heart. It encompasses, usually, a refusal to be petty, a willingness to face danger, and actions for noble ...

; Fortitude, Prudence, & Temperance; and Faith, Hope, & Charity; as well as

Mercy Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French ''merci'', from Medieval Latin ''merced-'', ''merces'', from Latin, "price paid, wages", from ''merc-'', ''merxi'' "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, relig ...

& Understanding, Courage & Vigilance, and Sacrifice & Loyalty. The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly's chair is located on the south wall below the press gallery of 13 seats. To the right of the speaker is a statue of

Moses Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu ( Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pr ...

holding the

Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...

, to the left is

Solon Solon ( grc-gre, Σόλων; BC) was an Athenian statesman, constitutional lawmaker and poet. He is remembered particularly for his efforts to legislate against political, economic and moral decline in Archaic Athens.Aristotle ''Politic ...

, a famous lawmaker of ancient

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

. Each statue is made of bronze and sculpted by

. Manitoba's Legislative Chamber is unique among provincial legislatures in that the Members' benches are grouped in a horseshoe shape. The original desks and chairs of the Chamber are fashioned of walnut with inlaid ebony. They are arranged in three tiers rising from a sunken floor in the centre of the Chamber. Each desk is equipped with a microphone connected to a public address system and a recording machine used in the publication of Hansard, a verbatim report of debates and proceedings in the Legislature. During question period, translators provide simultaneous translation from French to English. The Chamber is also equipped for video and internet broadcasts of question period and special events such as throne and budget speeches. Even as such changes have brought the assembly into modernity, the original inkwells employed by an earlier generation of Manitoban politicians are still visible.

Other rooms and halls

Rooms on the east side of the building have odd numbers, while rooms on the west side have even numbers; this regularly confuses new visitors to the building.

Lower levels

* Basement: Two large vaults are located in the basement. An original copy of the ''

Magna Carta (Medieval Latin for "Great Charter of Freedoms"), commonly called (also ''Magna Charta''; "Great Charter"), is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by t ...

'', while not on display at the building, was stored there in 2010. * The Hall of Honour (first floor, east side) features the Books of Remembrance, which list the names of Canadians who died during the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

to the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

. Plaques commemorating Manitoban regiments and divisions are also found in the hall. * The Keystone Gallery (lower level, west side) hosts rotating exhibits that showcase and promote Manitoba art and heritage. In July 2020, a

time capsule A time capsule is a historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a deliberate method of communication with future people, and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians. The preservation of holy relics dates ...

containing contributions from Members and staff of the building was added to the gallery, and it is to be opened in 2120, on the 200th anniversary of the building.

Second floor

Found on the second floor on the southwest side of the building are portraits of former Speakers (of the Legislative Assembly and of the Legislative Council), who customarily them commissioned upon retirement. On the northeast wing's second floor are photographs of the Manitoba's Premiers, while painted portraits of the Premiers are houses in the committee rooms on the south side of the building. The names of recipients of the

Order of Manitoba The Order of Manitoba (french: Ordre du Manitoba) is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Instituted in 1999 when Lieutenant Governor Peter Liba granted Royal Assent to The Order of Manitoba Act, the order is adminis ...

can be found on the second floor on the east side hallway. The original mace of Manitoba, which saw service for the first 13 years of the Assembly’s history, and its replacement, are the symbols of the Legislature’s authority. In September 2019, the two maces went on permanent display in a cabinet on the second floor. * The Manitoba Room (Room 200; aka the Chandelier Room) is used for special functions. Painted portraits of

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

and Queen Mary, by V.A. Long (1915), hang on either end of the room. On the adjacent walls hang portraits of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

and

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

by Dennis Fildes (1962). * The Reading Room of the Manitoba Legislative Library (Room 260) contains three tiers of book stacks and has space for 25,000 volumes, with additional space under the Chamber. Access to the upper tiers is by two spiral staircases, or by the Room’s original elevator. * The Trailblazers Gallery (2nd floor, west side) was unveiled on 21 August 2018 to honour 18 women who were/are in positions traditionally held by men or who have worked to forge new pathways for women in Manitoba.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

Visitor Tour Program
at the Province of Manitoba Legislative Assembly\ {{Canadian Legislative Bodies Buildings and structures in downtown Winnipeg Legislative buildings in Canada Buildings and structures completed in 1920 Beaux-Arts architecture in Canada Government buildings with domes Manitoba Legislature Terminating vistas in Canada 1920 establishments in Manitoba Provincial Heritage Sites of Manitoba