Province House (Nova Scotia)

• Location: Halifax, NS, Canada

• Architect: John Merrick

• Style: Palladian

• Completed in: 1819

Province House (Nova Scotia) serves as the legislative building for Nova Scotia, situated in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The Nova Scotia legislative assembly, formally referred to as the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, has convened annually at this location since its construction and opening in 1819. It holds the distinction of being the oldest legislative building in Canada. The building's architectural design is attributed to John Merrick.

Front view of the building

Constructed using Nova Scotia sandstone sourced from Wallace, NS, the building exemplifies three-storey Palladian architecture. The rusticated ground level provides a foundation for the Ionic colonnade present on the second and third levels. The central bay features a colonnade with six Ionic columns that uphold a pediment housing the British royal coat of arms in the tympanum. In the side bays, two Ionic pilasters support a pediment.

Angled volutes with un-fluted shaft

Six ionic columns have angled volutes, i.e. volutes can be read either from front or side. The columns have an un-fluted plain shaft which are more common with Roman ionic style than Greek ionic style.

Grand Staircase on 1st floor

Nova Scotia Reception Room

In the hallway to the left of the Grand Staircase, the Nova Scotia Reception Room is located on the left side of the hallway. This room used to be the Premier's office. The green stool and the blue stool shown in the photo are the stool used at the coronation of His Majesty King George VI in 1937 and the coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, respectively.

Veterans Room

The room on the other side of the hallway is the "Veterans Room." The room had been used as a meeting room for the Provincial Cabinet until another larger government complex was built in Halifax. It was then renamed to the "Veterans Room" to honor the veterans who played a significant role in Nova Scotia.

Johnston Room

The room next to the Veterans Room is the Johnston Room named after James William Johnston, the former Premier of Nova Scotia.

Taking the Grand Staircase to 2nd Floor

To the front, there is a portrait of King William IV. To the left of the portrait, the door leads to the Legislative Library.

Legislative Library

The Legislative Library is located on the east side of the building and was formerly used as a supreme court of Nova Scotia until 1860. The interior has been significantly altered since it became the Library.

The Grand Staircase to the 3rd Floor

Legislative chamber (House of Assembly)

The legislative chamber (House of Assembly) is located on the 2nd floor at the north side of the building. The Speaker's chair is located on the north side of the chamber while the government members sit on the west side and the opposition on the east.

The chair shown to the front right is for a Sergeant-at-Arms who is responsible for the overall security of the Legislation including escorting of the Lieutenant Governor while visiting the Chamber. The Sergeant-at-Arms is also responsible for the protection of the Mace which symbolized of the authority of the Speaker in the House.

Close-up of Clark's table

The cradle for the Mace can be seen on the Clark's table right in front of the Speaker's Chair.

Red Chamber

The Red Chamber is located on the 2nd floor at the south side of the building. It was previously used as the upper house of the legislature (known as the Legislative Council) until it was abolished in 1928. It is the only room in the building with no major changes to the room since its opening in 1819. Now the chamber is used for receptions and meetings.

Thrones in the Red Chamber

While the Red Chamber was used for the Legislative Council, the Lieutenant Governor delivered the speech from the Throne at the opening ceremony of the Legislature with the presence of both the Legislative Council and the House of Assemble in the Red Chamber.

South side of the building

The south side of the building has also two ionic pilasters supporting a pediment at the centre bay.

Palladian Window

The Province House of Nova Scotia is considered one of the finest examples of Palladian architecture in North America as indicated with a good example of the Palladian window between the two pilasters on the south side of the building.

References:

Nova Scotia Legislature. (n.d.). Retrieved 2023-10-29, from https://nslegislature.ca/

Cabinet Room Renamed to Honour Veterans, November 9, 2005. Retrieved 2023-10-29, https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20051109004

Province House National Historic Site of Canada. Parcs Canada. (n.d.). Retrieved 2022-11-20, from https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=801

Clerk, N. (n.d.). Palladian Style in Canadian Architecture . Retrieved 2022-11-20, from http://www.parkscanadahistory.com/series/saah/palladian.pdf

Province House. Historicplaces.ca - historicplaces.ca. (n.d.). Retrieved 2022-11-20, from https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=1682

Province House (Nova Scotia). Wikipedia. (2022, August 22). Retrieved 2022-11-20, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Province_House_(Nova_Scotia)