The Treasures Within -- Legislative Assembly Building, Regina SK CAN - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

This sign of history is located in the first floor vestibule of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building in Regina. This is the entrance that all members of the public must use in order to access this building.

Because guided tours are given and people need something to look at while waiting for the tour, the government of Saskatchewan has erected three signs of history to entertain and inform. This waymarked sign shares some of the interesting things to see on guided tour of this building.

The sign reads as follows:

"THE TREASURES WITHIN

Collecting Marble

Thirty-four types of marble from all over the world grace the inside of the Legislative Building. In the Rotunda, the baseboards and column bases are Irish marble, the giant pillars are marble from Cyprus, the balusters are Swedish and the floor is from Vermont. (Rider fans will appreciate the green and white.)

A Little Spit ‘n Polish

In the Rotunda, high above the doors to the Legislative Chamber, shines a much loved mural civil servant John Lehman painted in 1933 called Before the White Man Came. But that shine wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for a 2005 restoration. After testing several sophisticated chemicals, conservators discovered the best cleaner to restore the mural to its its original state: saliva! It took 221 hours and over a million cotton swabs!

Initial Surprise

Sharp-eyed visitors may spot the initials “E R” above the doors to the legislative chamber and “G R” atop the pillars in the Rotunda and on the wrought iron clocks in the main hallways. Why the difference? Ironwork above the doorway was created during the reign of King Edward VII, Edwardius Rex. When King Edward died, craftsmen switched to “G R” for his successor, King George V, Georgius Rex.

[photo]
Above the Legislative Chamber doors is the only reminder of Edward VII

Let There be Light

Skylights in four locations -- above the Grand Staircase, in the Rotunda, above the Chamber and downstairs by the Lieutenant Governor’s Portraits in the Qu’Appelle Gallery -- lend to the building's open, airy feel. (The “sun” in the skylights is actually produced by electric lights.)

Tale of a Table

A highlight of the Library is Confederation Table, used by the fathers of Confederation at the Québec Conference in 1864 and gifted to the North-West Territorial Council by the Government of Canada. Cramped at the Territorial Buildings, the Legislative Assembly moved to the post office while the new Legislative Building was being built. Alas, the table would not fit, so a 6 foot chunk was removed from the middle. (You can still see the scar.)

Great Rooms

Other highlights include the Library where the first session in this building was held in 1911, the Saskatchewan Gallery and its paintings of past Premiers, the Assinboine Gallery with portraits of First Nations leaders, the Cabinet Room and the Premier’s Office.

Roll Out the Green Carpet

Though parliamentary tradition and the architects called for green carpet in the chamber, red carpet went in. Then, whenever the carpet needed replacing, red went in again. Green carpet would finally come in 2012, a century after the Legislative Building opened.

On the table in the Chamber are three tributes to our province’s First Nation and Metis heritage: a beaded moose hide runner entitled “Treaties Forever”, a beaver pelt pillow on which the crown of the mace rests, and a sacred Metis sash.

Lost and Found

Thanks to serendipity, a number of lost treasures original to the building are back: the Speaker’s Dais (that one early Speaker of short stature couldn’t see over), a six-foot electric grandfather clock (this building had electricity from day one - quite the luxury in 1912), even a fireplace found hidden behind a wall in the 1980s!

Cherished Chair

The Speaker’s Chair was used by our province’s first Speaker when elected leaders met in temporary quarters while the Legislative Building was under construction. When Speaker Thomas McNutt left provincial politics in 1908, he was given the chair. Years later, the McNutt family presented the historic seat to the Legislative Assembly. It is now used on ceremonial occasions."

Group that erected the marker: Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link] Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly Regina, Saskatchewan Canada

Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the marker, preferably including yourself or your GPSr in the photo. A very detailed description of your visit may be substituted for a photo. In any case please provide a description of your visit. A description of only "Visited" or "Saw it while on vacation" by anyone other than the person creating the waymark may be deleted by the waymark owner or the category officers.

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Date Logged Log   03/12/2023 Benchmark Blasterz visited it