Stellar panel rounds out 2016 Whistler Writers Festival

The 2016 Whistler Writers Festival included many great events for readers and writers. Aside from the fantastic pitch opportunities, what I found most enjoyable was the Sunday Brunch hosted by Bill Richardson (right).

Doing readings and chatting with their host were Emma Donoghue, Madeleine Thien, Anosh Irani, Affinity Konar, Gary Geddes and Cea Sunrise Person. From Person's Paris model who is an escapee from life in a tent with hippie parents to the Bombay hijra in Irani's The Parcel, this work concerned stolen childhoods.

Venerable buildings of vieux Montreal

 

The Royal Victoria, above left, was built in 1893. To fund the construction of this free hospital on Mount Royal, money was donated by two Scottish immigrants, Lord Strathcona and Lord Mount Stephen. The architect was Saxon Snell, and the style Scottish Baronial. The Royal Vic is affiliated with McGill University, a historic site in itself. Above right, the delightful brick building that now houses the Centre d'histoire de Montreal was originally designed by Joseph Perrault and Simon Lesage and built as a firehall in 1903-4.

Below left is a portion of the enormous and attractive Bonsecours Market. This was designed by William Footner and built between 1844 and 1847. For a brief time in 1849, it housed the Parliament of the United Canadas. The Old Saint Sulplice Seminary, below right, was designed by the versatile priest Francois Dollier de Casson. This photo was taken by Dickbausch.

Quebec City architecture

That iconic hotel, the Chateau Frontenac, was designed by architect Bruce Price. Begun in 1892, it is a splendid example of the chateau style railway hotels that follow the ribbon of steel from Victoria to Halifax.

Founded in 1608, Quebec is one of the oldest cities in North America, and the only one on the continent with a wall, a portion of which can be seen above right.

Other surviving structures that date back to New France include the Ursuline Convent, below left, (1642), Notre-Dame de Quebec Cathedral (original 1647),  and the former Quebec Seminary, now a museum (1663.) Not surprisingly, Quebec City is a UNESCO heritage site.

Modern Gothic Revival -- Canadian Parliament in Ottawa

In 1857, Queen Victoria selected Ottawa as the new Capital of the Province of Canada. The East, Centre and West Blocks of the Parliament buildings were constructed before Confederation in 1967. In 1916 a fire destroyed much of the building. Even as World War I was being fought, the Parliament buildings had to be replaced. After John Pearson and Jean Omer Marchand designed the new Gothic Revival building, it was finished in 1922.

The Peace Tower was completed in 1927. This structure is decked with strange gargoyles, one of which is seen below. Its clock was a gift from the United Kingdom and the carillons, based on centuries-old instruments from the Netherlands and Belgium, has 53 bells and weighs 54 tons.

The U of T -- historic buildings are older than Canada

University College (left) is a national historic site that dates back to 1853 and opened in 1859. It was designed by Cumberland and Storm in the Romanesque Revival style.

The Sandford Fleming Building, below left, was erected in 1907. The Gothic Revival Hart House, below, was designed by Henry Sproat. Built in 1919 and financed by Vincent Massey, it was named for his grandfather, Hart Massey.

Ontario Legislature

Image from flickr

The Ontario Legislative Building, located in Queen's Park, Toronto, dates back to 1893 and stands on land owned by the U of T, (formerly King's College). Also home to the Lieutenant Governor, whose residence occupies one wing, this imposing structure creates a terminating vista for University Avenue.

The building is constructed around a load-bearing iron frame in a style called Richardsonian Romanesque. The pinkish sandstone exterior cladding comes from the Credit River, and the bricks were made by prisoners.

Beaux Arts on the Prairies -- Architects Merrick and Blakey

The Alberta Legislature, designed in the Beaux Arts style by Merrick and Blakey, was erected between 1907 and 1913. Edmontonians call it "the Ledge," and use it as a playground. Kids splash in the fountains and workers eat on the tree-shaded benches among colourful flower beds.

The Saskatchewan Legislative Building (below right) was created in a similar style between 1908 and 1912.


Manitoba's government building (below left) was done in a similar style by the same architects.