This is a continuation of my series on the construction of the British Columbia Legislature, right here in James Bay. If you are interested and would like to read more, you will find links to the previous installments at the end of this post.

By 1893 Architect Francis Mawson Rattenbury had work on the legislature's foundation well underway and was polishing up the plans for the second phase, when he suddenly entered a competition on a $1,000,000 contract to design the new capital building in Washington State. Controversy erupted immediately. What if Rattenbury won the contract? How could such a young and inexperienced architect manage two such large contracts without neglecting either one or the other. But then what if he didn't win? Wouldn't that reflect poorly on Rattenbury and the BC Legislature: The work of a second rate architect on a second rate public building?

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