Federal Building, Edmonton


The Federal Public Building is an office building located in downtown Edmonton, Alberta. Opened in 1958, it was originally built by the Government of Canada to host their Western Canadian offices. It was later sold to the Government of Alberta, where it sat vacant from 1988 to 2010.

History

Built in 1955, the Federal Building was first proposed in the 1930s to host the Government of Canada's federal offices in Western Canada. The building's construction was put on hold until 1955, as the Great Depression, and World War II occurred. During this time, the building's blueprints were expanded, and the building's size was doubled. The building was completed in 1958, and was opened by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker on March 8, 1958. It hosted federal government staff until 1988, when they were relocated to the newly built Canada Place building, located in downtown Edmonton. The Government of Alberta purchased the building in 1983, for the sum of $20.5 million, originally to house provincial offices, however, the Federal Building sat vacant until 2010, when the Government of Alberta announced that the Federal Building would house offices for both the provincial and federal governments, as well as recreational space for the general public. The building is LEED Gold certified.

Design

The Federal Building was designed in 1939 by George Heath MacDonald. One of the few Art Deco buildings in Alberta, it takes inspiration from buildings like the Empire State Building, and the Chrysler Building, both located in New York City.

Renovation

In 2010, the Government of Alberta started construction to renovate the Federal Building. Renovations done to the building include a new glass pavilion, and a new underground parking garage was built to replace existing above ground parking lots. The glass pavilion also has a living roof, as well as a living wall. The living wall won the 2016 North American Cities Alive Conference's Interior Green Wall Award of Excellence. A granite plaza was also built to extend the Legislature grounds to 99 Avenue. Water fountains and additional green spaces were also added during the renovations, increasing public spaces at the Legislature grounds. Renovations to the Federal Building cost $403 million.