Stroll along Victoria’s Inner Harbour and you can’t miss them—the stately Parliament Buildings, crowned with a green copper dome and a golden statue of Captain George Vancouver. The story behind this grand structure begins with the formation of Vancouver Island as a colony, and the ambitions of Sir James Douglas, known affectionately as “The Father of British Columbia”.
James Douglas originally arrived on the island in 1843 to establish the fur trading post of Fort Victoria for The Hudson’s Bay Company, a post he occupied for the next several years.
In 1849, the British government wanted to establish the area as the colony of Vancouver Island and appointed James Douglas as its first governor. Because of its strategic harbour and growing population, Douglas chose Victoria as the capital. Initially, the fledgling government conducted business in makeshift offices and warehouses, while six wooden Parliament buildings were being constructed. Upon completion, the whimsical appearance of these structures earned them the label “The Birdcages”; but they were far from perfect.
Lined with wood stoves and connected by wooden walkways, the Birdcages creaked in the wind and leaked during rainfalls. Despite these imperfections, they served as the seat of government through the union of Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia in 1866, and even after BC joined Confederation in 1871.
By the 1890s, however, the Birdcages were falling apart—literally. The floors sagged, the roof leaked, and public confidence in the provincial government was just as shaky as the buildings. With the growing population and rising prosperity of Victoria, pressure to build something more dignified and permanent mounted; so in 1892, a design competition to create a new, more dominant legislative building was held.
Among the entries was a bold and ambitious plan submitted under the pseudonym “A B.C. Architect.” It came from 25-year-old Francis Rattenbury; who, despite his claims, was neither from B.C. (he’d recently arrived from England) nor an actual architect (he was more of a drafting technician). But despite these indiscretions, Rattenbury’s brimming confidence, coupled with his dramatic neo-baroque design, wowed the judges and he won the bid.
Construction began in 1893, and after five years of work, the new Parliament Buildings officially opened in February 1898. Upon completion, five of the Birdcage buildings were torn down, the last one being left to serve as a museum. Fire ultimately destroyed this last building in 1957, and today its footprint hosts the Parliamentary Rose Garden.
The ultimate cost of the new Parliament was around $923,000—more than double the original estimate—but the result was landmark in every sense. Rattenbury’s stunning design featured arched windows, a soaring central dome, intricate granite stonework, imported marble, and a layout that opened gracefully onto the Harbour. As planned, it was an impressive greeting to all who journeyed into Victoria by boat or steamship.
To add extra glamour, Rattenbury insisted the silhouette of the building be lit each night by over 3,000 incandescent bulbs; bulbs originally illuminated by a series of coal-fired steam generators. A 1910 building conversion to electricity included the lights on the exterior, and the luminous outline of Parliament Buildings at night is still one of Victoria’s most iconic and most photographed features.
From rough-hewn Birdcages to grand architectural vision, the story of Victoria’s Parliament Buildings reflects the ambition and developing identity of British Columbia itself. Come see the Parliament Buildings for yourself; or better yet, why not join us on one of our many HIDDEN VICTORIA guided walking tours? Each one stops by Parliament, plus many other parts of our interesting and most historical city.
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