Here is what is probably Victoria's most photographed view, not surprisingly since it is an attractive vista. The three most prominent buildings, despite their different styles and purposes, were all designed by Francis Rattenbury. The three are the Fairmont Empress Hotel (on the left), the Legislative Assembly Buildings (slightly right of center) and the quite Grecian-looking Royal London Wax Museum (right). The first two are still used for their original purposes. The wax museum was originally designed for use as a steamship terminal. In the midst of these striking buildings, the Inner Harbour Causeway offers a colorful pedestrian walkway with musicians and artists, craftspeople and jugglers providing entertainment to the tens of thousands of visitors and locals who enjoy it every summer. This reads like a Tourism Victoria blurb but there's no denying it's a friendly, beautiful and interesting place.
It recently occurred to me that though I have often included the Fairmont Empress Hotel in the background to shots of the Inner Harbour, I have not featured it on its own. Like two other landmark buildings that face the Inner Harbour, the Legislative Assembly and the Royal London Wax Museum, this hotel was designed by Francis Rattenbury and opened in 1908. As can be seen, it's an imposing monument of that chateau style of hotel built by the large railway/steamship corporations a hundred years ago. I've called it the Fairmont Empress Hotel in deference to the new owners but to those of us who live here, it will always be just "The Empress." 
This imposing building now houses Madame Tussaud's, also known as the Royal London Wax Museum, and is located on the Inner Harbor just above yesterday's feature, the Pacific Undersea Gardens. It was built in the 1924 as the Canadian Pacific Railway Steamship Terminal by Francis Rattenbury, the architect also responsible for the Empress Hotel, the Legislative Assembly Buildings and the Crystal Gardens. Rattenbury was not the sole designer. He was assisted in this by another architect, Percy L. James. I cannot tell you what the Wax Museum is like to visit since I've never been. (You know what it's like - when you are living in a place you always put off seeing "the sights.") But you can read some reviews of this tourist attraction by clicking HERE. In any case I am very fond of the classic exterior of this building and the style it adds to the Inner Harbor.
(The historical information in this post comes from a father's day gift to me entitled "Building Victoria: Men, Myths, and Mortar"
About this time of year Victoria's downtown core blossoms with these beautiful hanging flower baskets, about a thousand of them. While not unique to Victoria, these baskets are a symbol of the city for many visitors, and have been a summertime tradition since 1937 when they were introduced to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the city's incorporation.
In the background to the baskets above is the roof of the Empress Hotel. This hotel as well as the adjacent Legislative Assembly Buildings and the nearby Crystal Gardens, the three most impressive buildings in the downtown core, were all designed by Francis Rattenbury. You can read a little about Rattenbury's tragic life by clicking here. In succeeding posts I hope to look a little more closely at these prominent buildings.
