In 1937 Prime Minister William Lyon MacKenzie King (1874-1950) first engaged the services of urban planner and architect Jacques-Henri-Auguste Gréber (1882–1962) to determine the location of the commemorative monument for the Great War, now known as World War One and the resulting monument now known as the National War Memorial commemorating all wars in which Canada has been involved. In 1938 MacKenzie King mandated Gréber to develop a plan for Ottawa. Disrupted by World War Two, King again contacted Gréber in 1945 and engaged him to create the plan. In 1950 Gréber produced a plan for Ottawa, available in PDF format on the Past Ottawa web site. That plan has been largely implemented.
The construction of the East and West Memorial Buildings that are the federal government's prinicpal memorial to those killed during World War Two comprised an early implementation of the Gréber plan. The architectural firm of Allward and Gouinlock (Hugh Lachlan Allward (1899-1971) and George Roper Gouinlock (1896-1979)) designed the two buildings as a single entity, now known as the East and West Memorial Buildings. The East Memorial Building was constructed from January 1, 1950 to January 1, 1954. The Government of Canada recognized it as a Federal Heritage Building on February 27, 1995. The West Memorial Building's construction took place from January 1, 1954 to January 1, 1958, and was recognized as a Federal Heritage Building on June 6, 1992.
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| ALL THESE WERE HONOURED IN THEIR GENERATIONS AND WERE THE GLORY OF THEIR TIMES ECCLESIASTICUS 44.7. |
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| TOUS CES HOMMES FURENT HONORÉS PAR LEURS CONTEMPORAINS TOUS ONT ÉTÉ LA GLOIRE DE LEUR TEMPS L'ECCLESIASTIQUE 44.7. |
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| Department of Justice Canada Headquarters Ministère de la Justice Canada Administration centrale |
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| ALL THESE WERE HONOURED IN THEIR GENERATIONS AND WERE THE GLORY OF THEIR TIMES ECCLESIASTICUS 44.7. |
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| VETERANS MEMORIAL BUILDINGS 1939 - 1945 ÉDIFICE COMMÉMORATIFS DES ANCIENS COMBATTANTS |
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| TOUS CES HOMMES FURENT HONORÉS PAR LEURS CONTEMPORAINS TOUS ONT ÉTÉ LA GLOIRE DE LEUR TEMPS L'ECCLÉSIASTIQUE 44.7. |
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| THIS STONE WAS LAID BY THE RIGHT HONOURABLE C.D. HOWE MINISTER OF TRADE & COMMERCE & DEFENCE PRODUCTION OCTOBER 19, 1995 CETTE PIERRE A ÉTÉ POSÉE PAR LE TRÈS HONORABLE C.D. HOWE MINISTRE DU COMMERCE ET DE LA PRODUCTION DE DÉFENSE LE 19 OCTOBRE 1955 |
