The Library of Parliament is one of the few Ottawa structures to have survived the catastrophic Centre Block fire of February 1916 — the same year this coin was issued, marking the centenary of that disaster. A watchman closed the iron doors separating the library from the rest of the building just before the fire took hold, an act that preserved the collection entirely while the rest of Parliament burned to its foundations.
The Library of Parliament is one of the few Ottawa structures to have survived the catastrophic Centre Block fire of February 1916 — the same year this coin was issued, marking the centenary of that disaster. A watchman closed the iron doors separating the library from the rest of the building just before the fire took hold, an act that preserved the collection entirely while the rest of Parliament burned to its foundations.