Although B.C.’s new Parliament Buildings were completed in late 1897, the opening was delayed to coincide with a new session of Parliament. Lieutenant Governor T.R. McInnes formally opened the buildings on February 10, 1898. The only dignitary not attending was the architect Francis M. Rattenbury. He was in England raising funds for a business scheme involving Klondike steamboats.
At the time they were built, the Parliament Buildings were criticized as an unnecessary extravagance, particularly since they cost over $300,000 more than the original $600,000 budget.
Between 1911 and 1915, Rattenbury designed additions to the structure, including the magnificent Legislative Library, with its elegant marble-paneled rotunda.
Crowds gather during the official opening of the Parliament Buildings, February 10, 1898.
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