Gothic designs proposed by others were rejected in favor of this gorgeous Beaux-Arts neoclassical style, evoking Imperial Rome with Roman Doric columns and even a Roman-style dome (which was removed in 1956). The inside design is a magnificent half-scale replica of the frigidarium (cold bath component of the Roman baths of Diocletian), later incorporated into Rome's Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, a project which Michelangelo worked on for some time.
Recognizable Beaux-Arts banks, stations, offices and government buildings rule. Would be nice to see more of this monumental style in Ottawa, especially in the neighborhood of the Hill.
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