After Dark - The Legislative Assembly Building

On summer days Victoria's Inner Harbour is full of life and color and, of course, thousands of visitors to the city. After dark its magic is different so I always try to get down there at least one summer evening every year. In the winter, it's usually too cold for me to venture there. It's hard to define the character of the Inner Harbour to find out where the magic lies but I'm sure the key to its charm must be credited to an early city architect, Francis Mawson Rattenbury. He designed the Legislative Assembly Building pictured here. It forms the centerpiece of a trio of buildings designed by the same architect. Rattenbury was also responsible for the CPR Steamship Terminal (now the Bateman Gallery) and the Empress Hotel (now the Fairmont Empress Hotel). These prominent buildings are very different in style and character and this gives the Inner Harbour a richness and interest it would not otherwise have.