Five generations shaping Ottawa’s built environment.

From designing Canada’s original Parliament Buildings to building and restoring landmarks across the country, five generations of Fullers have helped shape the nation. That story continues today with the Fuller Group, Ottawa’s largest and longest-established locally owned construction and development organization.

A competition that changed everything.

Thomas Fuller emigrated from England in 1857 and became a senior partner in the Toronto architectural firm Fuller & Jones. When Ottawa was chosen as the nation’s capital, a competition followed to design the new Parliament Buildings and Library. In 1859, Fuller & Jones won with a Gothic Revival design that would become a symbol of the new Confederation.

Overseeing a national symbol.

From 1860 to 1867, Thomas Fuller oversaw construction of the Parliament Buildings, and was later appointed architect in charge of all government buildings on Parliament Hill. The Library of Parliament, part of his original design, remains one of Canada’s most important heritage buildings.

Designing a nation’s public buildings.

In 1881, Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald appointed Thomas Fuller as the Chief Architect for the Dominion of Canada. Before retiring in 1896, he designed more than 140 public buildings across the country, including post offices, customs houses and internal revenue offices.

A second generation answers the call.

Thomas Fuller’s son, Thomas W. Fuller, began his career in 1885 as an apprentice to his father at the federal Department of Public Works. As the Klondike Gold Rush drew tens of thousands north, Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier appointed him as District Architect for the Yukon in 1898 to affirm Canada’s sovereignty in the region. From 1899 to 1902, he designed federal buildings in Dawson City and acted as the government’s contractor.

Building the Peace Tower.

After leading the design of military buildings across Canada from 1904 to 1918, Thomas W. Fuller was appointed Chief Architect of Canada by Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King in 1927. His first task was overseeing construction of the Peace Tower, part of the rebuilding of Parliament after the 1916 fire. He retired in 1936 after 51 years and 11 months of service, the longest career of any public servant at the time.

From the drafting table to the job site.

Thomas G. Fuller apprenticed under his father as a draftsman, then built sewers in Toronto during the Depression. In 1939, he incorporated Thomas Fuller Construction in Ottawa, but he soon sold his share in the company to his partner for a single dollar so he could enlist in the Second World War. Serving in the Canadian Navy, he earned the Distinguished Service Cross three times and became known as the “Pirate of the Adriatic.”

A growing group of companies.

Back in Ottawa in 1946, Thomas G. Fuller returned to his fledgling construction business. In 1949, he co-founded Metcalfe Realty, which developed the Metcalfe Building, the first modern high-rise office building in downtown Ottawa. As the Fuller Group grew over the years, Fuller Construction completed more than 600 projects across Eastern Canada, including the provincial government buildings in Prince Edward Island, the Central Trust Tower in Halifax and the Marine Police Headquarters in Toronto Harbour. In the capital, the company developed Ottawa’s train station, airport, congress centre, general hospital, police headquarters and other institutions.

Returning to the Peace Tower.

Following Thomas G. Fuller’s death in 1994, his sons William, Mark, Antony and Simon carried the company forward. A year later, they were awarded the contract to renovate the Peace Tower and Centre Block, the landmark their grandfather Thomas W. Fuller had overseen nearly 70 years earlier.

Still building Canada’s future.

Thomas G. Fuller’s grandson, Sam Fuller, now leads the company as president, the fifth generation of Fullers to shape Canada’s built environment. With more than 1,000 projects completed, the company focuses on two specialties — complex buildings and civil infrastructure — and remains rooted in the communities it has helped build for more than 85 years.