“Holy cow there are a lot of stairs,” responds Alberta legislature facilities manager Donald Sieffert, when asked about people’s reactions to making it to the top of the Alberta legislature.
At the very top of the legislature is the cupola, a turret that sits atop the building’s domed roof. It is only accessible by navigating an ever-narrowing expanse of locked staircases. The tiny cupola houses a light that signals when the legislature is in session, a speaker system for the carillon bells, and provides those lucky enough to reach it, a 360-degree view of Edmonton and the river valley.
“It’s very inspiring. You get to see a long ways up and down the river on each side.,” says Sieffert of the pinnacle of the over 105 year-old building. “The images, just visually are incredible.”
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Donald Sieffert, facilities manager for the Alberta Legislature Building, poses for a photo in the space between the main dome at the legislature in Edmonton Thursday Feb. 22, 2018. Above Sieffert is the main dome roof that is visible from the exterior of the legislature, below him is the top of the dome ceiling visible from inside the legislature.
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Over the years visitors to the inside of the dome and cupola at the Alberta Legislature have signed their names.