HPCS Government Building Projects
Ottawa, Ontario (1868) The Building:The house at 24 Sussex Drive is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Canada during his or her term of office. The house has been renovated many times with unsympathetic alterations prevailing in most cases. The oldest part of the house dates from the 1830s. It is a national … Read more
Hamilton, Ontario (1937) The Building:Post Office, Customs House and Federal Government edifice built as a works project during the Great Depression. Many such grand art deco buildings were built across Canada during that period. Project Synopsis:Floor to ceiling marble cladding designed to look like ashlar with mortar joints created using a contracting color of marble … Read more
St. Thomas, Ontario (1853) The Building:The Elgin County Courthouse has been associated with the administration of justice in the County of Elgin for more than 150 years. One of the first of its kind, the courthouse is a prominent example of the combined courthouse, jail and county buildings erected by counties in many parts of … Read more
HPCS designed and oversaw the execution of stabilization and conservation treatments for the 12,000 sq ft. fibrous plaster panel ceiling.
Ottawa, Ontario (1876) The Building: One of Canada’s most spectacular buildings (it is on the Canadian ten dollar bill) is the hexadecagon (16 sided) Library of Parliament in the heart of the Parliamentary Precinct in Ottawa. The library survived a fire that completely destroyed the adjacent Parliament Buildings in 1916. Renovations after another minor fire that … Read more
Fredericton, New Brunswick (1882) The Building:A Second Empire style structure, featuring a 125-foot-high dome tower, was built to replace the original building destroyed by fire in 1880. Project Synopsis:Historic Plaster Conservation Service was called to visit the site and make recommendations for a possible conservation strategy for the fragile wood lath and plaster ceiling of … Read more
Toronto, Ontario (1899) The Building:The Richardsonian Romanesque former City Hall is one of the largest buildings in Toronto and was the largest civic building in North America upon completion in 1899. Consolidating Plaster from a Remote Location in 150 RoomsThe collapse of a section of office ceiling in 2006 precipitated an investigation by HPCS that … Read more
Halifax, Nova Scotia (1818) The Building: The oldest legislature in Canada, featuring the Red Chamber room, which housed the Senate in pre-confederation days and is now used for royal visits and other ceremonial affairs of state. The Problem:The Adams style ceiling of the Red Chamber is festooned with applied plaster moldings thought to have been shipped … Read more
Ottawa, Ontario (1833) The Building:Since 1967, Rideau Hall has been the official residence of the Canadian monarch and the Governor General of Canada. Originally built as a stone villa, the building has undergone significant expansions over the years, and is now comprised of 170 rooms totaling 102,000 square feet. Project Synopsis:An assessment by Historic Plaster … Read more
HPCS was the heritage plaster consultant and carried out the plaster consolidation work on the award-winning project West Block Rehabilitation Project.
