The Saskatchewan Legislative Building is the finest building in the province and one of the better Beaux-Arts legislative structures in Canada. Completed in 1912 and set on a peninsula that juts into Wascana Lake, the building is most impressive from the water — a classically proportioned dome and portico reflected in the lake, with the flat prairie stretching behind it. The setting was deliberately theatrical: the architects understood they were designing the symbolic centrepiece of a new province that wanted to be taken seriously.
Free guided tours run daily and are genuinely good — the guides know the building's history and take you through the legislative chamber, the marble rotunda, and the galleries. The grounds are equally worth exploring: the formal gardens on the lakeside include several sculptures, and the walking path from the building along the lakeshore to the Royal Saskatchewan Museum is one of the better short walks in the city. The building is illuminated at night and is particularly striking from the Wascana Drive bridge across the lake.