The Great Fire

This bell is an artifact of the great fire of 1916 in the centre block. The Centre Block burned in 1916; the edifice was entirely destroyed except for the Library of Parliament, whose treasures were preserved by a quick-thinking librarian who was able to close its massive doors. The Centre Block was immediately rebuilt, being completed in 1920, with the Peace Tower, commemorating the end of the First World War, being completed in 1927. The new structure, designed by John Pearson and Omar Marchand, again embraced Gothic Revival, but also integrated the Beaux Arts ideas current at the time. The Peace Tower is the most prominent part of the buildings. It replaced the 55-metre Victoria Tower (Canada), burned in the 1916 fire. Like the entire interior and exterior of the building, the tower is decorated with approximately 370 stone carvings, including gargoyles, grotesques, and freizes. The centrepiece of the new buildings is the Hall of Honour in the Centre Block, which is notable for being the only place where Canadians can lie in state.