Library and Archives Canada - Public Archives and National Library Building

The limestone building at three hundred ninety-five Wellington Street sits heavy on the cliff above the Ottawa River. Its flat, functional roof and sharp geometric lines contrast with the ornamental style of nearby Parliament. Architect W. A. Mathers designed this structure in nineteen sixty-seven to house Canada's collective memory. Before it opened, national records were scattered in fire-prone basements across the city. Archivist W. Kaye Lamb fought for decades to centralize these files, finally securing this vault to protect the country's past.