For the week of August 31, 2026.
On September 1, 1988, the Government of Canada designated the Supreme Court Building a Classified federal heritage building. It was constructed between 1938 and 1941 for the Supreme Court of Canada, which is now the highest court in Canada’s judicial system.
The Supreme Court of Canada was established in 1875. At first, its decisions could be overturned by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in the United Kingdom. This oversight continued until 1933 for criminal appeals and 1949 for civil appeals.
Initially, the Supreme Court of Canada occupied three offices and a converted reading room (used as a courtroom) in the original Centre Block on Parliament Hill. In 1881 it moved into a converted workshop and stable at the corner of Bank and Wellington streets in Ottawa. When the Department of Pension and National Health condemned the building in 1936, citing fire hazards and pest infestations, the government decided to invest in a purpose-built courthouse.
The location selected for the new Supreme Court Building was on unceded Anishinaabe Algonquin territory, west of the Parliament Buildings on the south bank of the Ottawa River. Construction began in September 1938 but stopped in May 1940 because of the Second World War. Within a month, work resumed on the third floor and roof. The National War Services Administration, the Department of National Revenue, and Royal Canadian Air Force began using the finished floors for offices and storage. The building was completed by 1941, but the Supreme Court did not move in until 1946, after the war ended.
The architect responsible for the Supreme Court Building was Ernest Cormier (1885–1980), who gained renown for his Art Deco designs of University of Montréal buildings, and the Montréal Courthouse. He broke with the Gothic style of the Parliament Buildings with a design rooted in the Beaux Arts style, which makes effective use of scale grandiosity and elegant materials to create a dignified sense of occasion. The Château-style copper roof was his response to feedback from Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, who found the original proposals too modern. The exterior, made of grey granite, is solid and serious. The interior is finished with expensive materials, including marble, walnut, and mahogany. There is also an extensive use of bronze in symbolic designs that depict key moments in legal history. Together, these elements assert the legitimacy and the values of the Supreme Court.
Today, the Supreme Court Building remains an important national landmark in the heart of downtown Ottawa. It is also the only bilingual and bijural apex court in the world, hearing cases in English and French from both of Canada’s legal traditions: civil law and common law. The Supreme Court of Canada building welcomes visitors year-round, offering a chance to explore a national landmark and gain insight into the Court’s role in shaping Canada’s legal system. Visitors can attend a hearing or join a guided tour to learn more about the Court.
