French Embassy Building
France sent its first diplomatic representative to Canada in
1928. Ambassador Jean Knight immediately began searching for a
prestigious building to house the French Embassy. Unable to find a
suitable structure, the French government instead purchased the home
of Arthur and Mary Blackburn, which stood along the Ottawa River near
the Rideau Falls, and tore the house down. At a cost of $80,000 in
1931, it was an expensive choice.
Built in the Art Deco style of the 1920s and ’30s, the Embassy
boasts a number of magnificent rooms. From the tapestries illustrating
the seasons in the Grand Hall to the dining room covered in a giant
fresco painting entitled La France Heureuse to the smoking room where
the walls and ceiling are entirely covered in birch bark, the Embassy
is an architectural and artistic marvel.
Photo 109, May 2012