The Dominion Public Building, London Ontario

Text and photos by Clifton Bertram

Some fast facts concerning the Dominion Public Building, a much-beloved architectural landmark and Art Deco masterpiece in downtown London:

• Built under the auspices of the Public Works Construction Act of 1934 (and therefore, basically, a stimulus project), it was completed in 1936 and first housed the London Post Office

• It is considered to be an example of the so-called 'Modern Classicism' variant of Art Deco.

• It was re-opened in 2007, after $7.4 million worth of restoration work. All building systems were updated, and an emergency generator and a freight elevator were installed. Interior architectural details were preserved to their original state throughout the building.

Heritage.ca lists the following as the defining characteristics of the Dominion Public Building:

• The monumental public scale, the profile and massing rising from a single-storey base in stepped back volumes, and the strong vertical accent of the multi-storey piers which separate the deeply recessed windows and doorways.

• The external sculptural ornament featuring the maple leaf, rose, shamrock, thistle and fleur de lis.

• The interior main public space with coffered ceiling panels and the remaining original internal fixtures such as light fixtures and brass doors.

• The polished marble walls, and polished marble floors with coordinated terrazzo floors

• The manner in which the building reinforces the urban streetscape of London through its construction, scale, and its location, and its physical and functional relationship to the other buildings in town.