The building was built between 1953-1967, and officially opened to the public as the National Library of Canada, many decades later in 2004, it was merged with the National Archives of Canada to form Library and Archives Canada. The building sits west of Parliament Hill on Wellington Street, past all other major institutional buildings.

The building itself is fortress-like, composed of two four-storey wings that front Wellington Street and wrap around a nine-storey block in the centre. The Archives building is clad in grey granite panels with brushed aluminum detailing around the windows and on the railings. At the ground level, the building offers the public a glazed four-storey entry that sits beyond a forecourt on Wellington Street. The lightness of the entrance is contrasted by the rest of the solid grey building, which offers light in through small punched square windows.

The Public Archives and National Library Building is a Classified Federal Heritage Building, designated in 2009.

More information on the Public Archives and National Library Building can be found at the Related Resources.