Some Thoughts on Canadian and American Eclecticism in Public Architecture

The paper examines the specificity of 19 and early 20 century Eclectic Movement as it applied to public architecture in Canada, and compares the Movement’s position to the corresponding current in the United States. This divergence manifested itself most eloquently in the architecture of the public buildings of the two capitals, Ottawa and Washington. Canada, like most western nations, did not escape the cultural penchant of the times. In some ways, it followed steadfastly the architectural path of their neighbour to the south, but in other ways, it looked to Europe for its muses and its models. It was not until the latter part of the 19 century that Canada found its own voice and defined a distinct image for much of its public architecture. Ideology as well as taste played a part in formulating the national stylistic differences, but so did the issue of cultural nationalism. Furthermore, the question of stylistic disparity is somewhat blurred by a unique paradoxical condition: many (and some of the best) of Canada's significant public buildings were designed by American architects who either followed their own well-determined design tenets or whose perspective on architecture and architectural history differed significantly from those of their Canadian colleagues. In other words, the lure of the past existed in both countries, but the visions were different.