Embassy of France
42 Sussex Drive
Written by Bytown Museum
on
03/Dec/2009
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.
The Embassy's décor also speaks to France's ties to Canada. In the Ambassador's office, the walls are covered in engravings that symbolize the history of New France from 1534 to 1760. Officially opened in 1939, the embassy was designed by French architect Eugène Beaudoin who was assisted by two Montréal architects, Antoine Monette and Marcel Parizeau.
If you're patient, you can be one of the thousands who tour through the Embassy of France when it participates in Doors Open Ottawa.
