The building is on a
promontory overlooking the scenic
North Saskatchewan River valley near the location of
Fort Edmonton, Mark V (1830–1915), a
Hudson's Bay Company fur-trading post, a long-established economic and administrative centre of the western Prairies. On the south lawn of the legislature grounds there are marker posts indicating where the old fort used to be. It is just up the hill from the archaeological finds at
Rossdale Flats to the east, remnants of a long-standing First Nations campsite and location of an earlier Fort Edmonton. The Legislature's location was selected shortly after Edmonton was confirmed as the provincial capital by the first session of the Legislature in 1906. The legislature building was located along
97 Avenue. That road was routed through a tunnel during the 1970s renovations to the grounds, allowing a large plaza to connect the legislature to a greenspace to the north. To the west of the building, the grounds are bounded by
109 Street and the railway right-of-way coming north from the
High Level Bridge, now used by the
High Level Bridge Streetcar. Nearby is a
walking path, connecting to the
Victoria Park and Golf Course and the
Grandin neighbourhood. To the north lies the "Government Centre" district within downtown Edmonton, south of
Jasper Avenue, Edmonton's
main street. Here are found several provincial government office buildings including the
Queen Elizabeth II Building, (formerly the Edmonton
Federal Building). A short section of 108 Street, called "Capital Boulevard", is anchored by two
terminating vistas, the legislature and
MacEwan University's City Centre Campus. MacEwan is a part of the
Old Canadian National rail yard redevelopment. Nearby to the northeast is the Government Centre transit centre, and further east is the
Rossdale neighbourhood and
Edmonton Ballpark. The security of the Legislature building and surrounding grounds are the responsibility of the
Alberta Sheriffs Branch.
LGBT activism in Edmonton has taken place at the Alberta Legislature Building for many years and as such, the building is featured on the
Edmonton Queer History Project map.
Statues and memorials Several memorials and statues are situated within the Legislative Buildings, or the grounds surrounding it. The fountain inside the Legislature Building was installed during 1959 to commemorate the first visit of Queen
Elizabeth II to the building. For the province's centennial, the Queen unveiled in the same structure a series of
stained glass windows that highlight the role of the
monarchy in Alberta over the previous century. The centre window, at the front entrance of the building, focuses on the reign of Elizabeth II, including her
royal cypher surmounted by
St. Edward's Crown and flanked by
wild roses, while the other windows commemorate the reign of George VI,
Edward VIII,
George V, and
Edward VII, along with provincial emblems such as the
coat of arms and the wild rose. Other items of significance on the grounds include the
Lois Hole Memorial Garden, the statue of
Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, and a memorial to
Chief Crowfoot. There are various monuments marking important parts of Alberta history, people and culture including the Ukrainian Centennial Pioneer Monument, the Italian monument, the Aboriginal Veterans' monument, the Korean War Memorial. The grounds feature a statue of Lord Strathcona, a Japanese Garden and the Police and Peace Officers' Memorial and many other monuments. In 2022, a monument commemorating the signing of Treaty 6 was added to the south lawn.
"Purple City" A local custom involves area teenagers staring at the building's flood lights and then looking up to see everything in the color purple. The band
The Rural Alberta Advantage referenced the custom in their song Edmonton. It is also the origin of the name for
Purple City Music Festival. ==History==