West Block

Downtown Ottawa is the central area of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is sometimes referred to as the Central Business District and contains Ottawa's financial district. It is bordered by the Ottawa River to the north, the Rideau Canal to the east, Gloucester Street to the south and Bronson Avenue to the west. This area and the residential neighbourhood to the south are also known locally as 'Centretown'. The total population of the area is 4,876 (2016 Census).

The National Press Building in Ottawa, Canada is a building on Wellington Street, just across from the West Block of the Parliament Buildings, that houses the Parliamentary Press Gallery. The building is owned by the federal government. Originally the press had their offices inside the Centre Block of the Parliament buildings. By the mid-1960s these areas had become overcrowded, and the large number of journalists based in desks lined against the walls of hallways were deemed a fire hazard. Thus the press were moved to their new home across the street. The Italian Renaissance building, originally named the Norlite Building, had been constructed in 1917-1919 and originally held several government agencies. Offices in the building are provided to journalists at cost by the federal government, with some other facilities remaining in the Centre Block. The building is home to a wide array of news agencies, both national and foreign, and all forms of media. The building is often described as "dingy" and the offices are very small, and many larger organizations thus choose to base their reporters elsewhere. In 2004, the CBC moved its parliamentary bureau from the building to the new CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre. The National Press Club is situated on the second floor. From 2008 to 2010, the Global Television Network had the studio of its weeknight Global National newscast in a purpose-built green screen studio in the building. The only national newscast to be anchored in the nation's capital, the program was normally anchored by Kevin Newman who presented to cameras remotely controlled by producers in the network's Vancouver control centre. The combination of digitally controlled cameras and the green screen gave the impression of a much larger studio space than is actually there.

The Victoria Building is an Art Deco office building in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 140 Wellington Street, just across from the Parliament of Canada. It houses the offices of a number of parliamentarians, mostly members of the Senate of Canada. The building, designed by John Albert Ewart, was completed in 1928 by private developers, though the federal government quickly leased much of it. It has held a wide variety of tenants. It was the first home of the Embassy of France (1928-1939) and the Bank of Canada from 1935 to 1938. It also housed the Japanese legation in 1931. From 1938 to 1964 it housed the CBC and for a time was also the home of Ashbury College. The federal government took over the building in 1973 and in 2003 it was renovated.

The Sir John A. Macdonald Building is a former bank building in Ottawa now owned by the federal government of Canada. It is located at 144 Wellington Street, at the corner of O'Connor Street, with a third frontage on Sparks Street, just in front of West Block of Parliament. Its façade indicates its former heritage as a Bank of Montreal branch location. It is an example of Beaux-Arts architecture. Designed by E.I. Barott, it was built in 1930. It reflects the integration of several styles including classical elements that had long been used to design Canadian banks. The Doric columns or the classical structure are flattened. Rather than classical figures the exterior of the building is carved with scenes depicting Canadian industry and architecture. As the building is on a slope the Sparks Street entrance is a storey below the Wellington Street one. This below grade section is made of granite, while the upper level is of limestone. The Government of Canada ordered the Bank of Montreal to vacate the building before May 2005. The Bank of Montreal was the last commercial building on this downtown street, just in front of the Parliament buildings. Now all buildings on Wellington Street between Elgin Street and the Ottawa River Parkway are Federal Government property. On 11 Jan 2012, the building was renamed the Sir John A. Macdonald Building.As of 2015, the building is used for parliamentary business and reception functions.

The Wellington Building is a Beaux-Arts architecture office building in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was built between 1924 and 1927 as Canadian headquarters of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. The original structure was designed by D. Everett Waid; in 1959, the more restrained classical east wing of the building was added. The Building is located just south of the Parliament buildings at the intersection of Wellington Street and Bank Street with its southern face on Sparks Street. It remained the home of Met Life until 1970 when the company moved to a new building to the south. It was bought by the federal government, and used as offices and for a time the home of the Canadian Postal Museum. In 1984 a shortage of office space for the MPs resulted in some of them being moved to the building. This was the first time MPs had been housed outside of Parliament Hill. Since its rehabilitation in 2016, the building is occupied by the House of Commons and serves several parliamentary functions.

The Valour building, formerly La Promenade Building, is an office building in Ottawa owned by the Canadian department of Public Works and Government Services. Built in 1972, the 12-storey building is located at 151 Sparks Street and was previously the offices of House of Commons, Parliamentary Precinct Services, and Library of Parliament employees. In 2010, the building was used as temporary space for parliamentarians during the renovations of the West Block of Parliament. Afterwards, La Promenade was renovated and became permanent offices once again. In 2014 the name of the building was changed to that of the Valour Building to honour individuals who had been awarded the Star of Military Valour during the Afghanistan conflict.

The Centennial Flame (French: Flamme du centenaire) is a monument on Parliament Hill commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation. First lit in January 1967, the Flame worked with natural gas and as of 2021 uses biogas, presenting a fountain that does not freeze in winter. Money thrown into it is a donation for people with disabilities, some of whom have received over $5,000.

The Victoria Tower was the prominent main bell tower of the original Centre Block parliament building in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The 55-metre-high (180 ft) tower was the centre piece of Parliament Hill that was constructed from 1859 to 1866 by Thomas Fuller. It was destroyed during the great fire of the Centre Block on 3 February 1916. Its replacement, the Peace Tower, was built on the same location but the design (larger clock face, ornamental Victoria High Gothic vs. simpler Modern Gothic) and height were radically changed. The original tower bore some similarities to the tower at the Parliament Building (Quebec) (still standing).

The Peace Tower (French: Tour de la Paix) is a focal bell and clock tower sitting on the central axis of the Centre Block of the Canadian parliament buildings in Ottawa, Ontario. The present incarnation replaced the 55-metre (180 ft) Victoria Tower after the latter burned down in 1916, along with most of the Centre Block; only the Library of Parliament survived. It serves as a Canadian icon and had been featured prominently on the Canadian twenty-dollar bill directly adjacent the queen's visage, until the change to polymer.

Parliament Hill (French: Colline du Parlement), colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Its Gothic revival suite of buildings, and their architectural elements of national symbolic importance, is the home of the Parliament of Canada. Parliament Hill attracts approximately three million visitors each year. Law enforcement on Parliament Hill and in the parliamentary precinct is the responsibility of the Parliamentary Protective Service (PPS). Originally the site of a military base in the 18th and early 19th centuries, development of the area into a governmental precinct began in 1859, after Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the capital of the Province of Canada. Following several extensions to the parliament and departmental buildings and a fire in 1916 that destroyed the Centre Block, Parliament Hill took on its present form with the completion of the Peace Tower in 1927. Since 2002, an extensive $3 billion renovation and rehabilitation project has been underway throughout all the precinct's buildings; work is not expected to be complete until after 2028.

The Portrait Gallery of Canada (French: Musée du portrait du Canada) is a federally-registered not-for-profit corporation that currently has no collection or physical presence.On July 30, 2020, the Portrait Gallery of Canada launched its online presence at portraitcanada.ca.Private sector donations and in-kind contributions help the Portrait Gallery of Canada in its ability to pursue its vision and showcase its online exhibitions of portraits of people from across Canada and from all walks of life. Organizers and supporters envision a future when the PGC will: 1) build a world-class collection of historical and contemporary portraits that humanize the stories of Canada’s past and present, and open a window into Canada’s future; 2) host innovative exhibitions in an inspiring physical space that is accessible to visitors of all ages and from all walks of life; and 3) make its future collection and programming accessible to people who live outside the National Capital Region through engaging and interactive web-based and travelling exhibitions.

The Second Supreme Court of Canada building sat to the west of Parliament Hill in Ottawa and was home to the Supreme Court of Canada from 1882 to 1945. Built in 1874, it was built by Chief Dominion Architect Thomas Seaton Scott for Department of Works as a workshop to maintain buildings on Parliament Hill. Modified by Thomas Fuller from 1882 onwards it was shared by the Supreme Court and National Gallery of Canada for six years until the former became the only tenant.Prior to 1882, the Supreme Court conducted their business in various committee rooms on Parliament Hill, including the Railway Committee Room. The court finally got a permanent home within a decade of its creation.The first building for the Supreme Court was built on Bank Street near Parliament. The design was considered quaint and was less elegant than other government buildings in Ottawa. Although similar in design to the West Block and the East Block, it was a more subdued modern Gothic Revival design. After the Supreme Court moved to its new site to the west of Parliament in 1949, this building was demolished in 1955 after it was condemned as a fire hazard. It is the only building on Parliament Hill to be demolished.The site is currently a parking lot and vehicle screening facility for Parliament Hill.