Dominion Public Building (London, Ontario)

[5] London, like any other city during "the hungry thirties" was suffering economically with a huge unemployment crisis in progress.

[9] During his time as Dominion Architect he oversaw many Public Works Construction Act projects[9] and brought neoclassicism to Canadian federal buildings.

[10] John Watt and Roy Moore were both local architects who worked with W. Fuller on The Dominion Public Building.

Roy worked at and then became partner at his father's firm, eventually changing the name from Moore & Henry to J.M.

[14] Alongside its overall formal language, Fuller incorporated many art deco elements to the building that complimented the smooth exterior shell.

This specific massing was developed to sympathise with the everyday circulation on the street below; from the street level the building appears as a one-storey construction, but as the viewer steps back the massing of the building steps as well, revealing a vertical prominence.

[15] An important part of the overall aesthetic of the Dominion Public Building was the many carvings, iconography and intricate details that were worked into the design.

[17] Construction played a big role in the Public Works Act rollout and was a supply of jobs in a drought of unemployment.

[4] Over the years, the bronze that was used as an accent has worn away on the door handles and the lights, thus they have been replaced with aesthetically similar stand-ins.

[20] Historically, this building represents a turning point in Great Depression economics and stood as a sign of hope and reassurance for the Canadian people.

As a heritage building it serves as a reminder to the population of the struggles of the 1930s and shows them that the government had their backs with the Public Works Construction Act.

The building also represents an era of quality materials, construction and art in the craft of architecture and design.