It was Queen Victoria who in 1858 selected the permanent site for Canada's Parliament in the City of Ottawa. For her, Ottawa was a political compromise over the established cities of Toronto, Kingston, Montreal and Quebec. Ottawa was also secure from the American border.
The Centre, East and West Blocs of the Parliament Buildings were built between 1859 and 1866. One year after they were completed, Confederation was ushered in and the buildings were chosen as the seat of government for the new Dominion of Canada. The original Centre Block was destroyed by fire in 1916. Only the Library of Parliament was spared.
