Temporary P.E.I. legislature in Coles Building still attracting visitors

P.E.I.'s legislative chamber, housed in a temporary location at the Coles Building in Charlottetown, is still an attraction for tourists.

The legislature's permanent home in Province House is shut down while engineers try to fix serious structural problems in the outside walls of the structure.

• Province House closing for years of restoration

A pilot project last summer was launched to see how much public interest there would be in seeing the P.E.I. legislative chamber even though it has been relocated during renovations to Province House.

There was enough interest to open the doors again this summer.

"Not quite the same level of visitation as we did when we were in Province House but we are still getting visitors, at least 20 to 25 visitors per day," said Ryan Reddin, a clerk assistant with the Legislative assembly.

"A lot of visitors from other provinces in Canada who are interested in comparing their legislature to ours and P.E.I. being the smallest provincial legislature, seeing just how small it is."

A historic building in its own right

Reddin said the provincial archives are also located in the Coles Building, so seeing the legislative chamber is an added bonus for visitors researching their P.E.I. roots.

The Coles Building is itself a significant historic structure in Charlottetown. It opened in 1876 as the home of the Supreme Court of P.E.I.

The interior of the building was destroyed by fire in 1976, and the court moved to a new building on the waterfront. The Coles Building was rebuilt to house government offices.

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