The Supreme Court of Canada
Supreme Court of Canada located on 301 Wellington street above the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa. It was designed by Ernest Cormier, and the building is renowned for its Art Deco decorative details. Harold Kalman describes the 1939-46 building in his History of Canadian Architecture as a “pristine and dignified example of Modern Classicism” in the best of the tradition practiced by the important Montreal architect. Kalman also notes that Cormier’s originally thought a flat roof was appropriate to this palace of justice, but Mackenzie King’s government required it follow the Chateau-style roof with steep copper slopes and dormers to unify with other government buildings in the capital.
The design of the building shows the duality of the justice system in Canada. On the one hand, the design of the building expresses the solemnity, authority, even cold surface of the justice system. On the other hand, it shows the humanistic care to create a space to serve the public by using modern technology and disability access, and carefully arranged space for judges and staffs.
