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Along the river behind West Block are more federal buildings, chateau-style monoliths with perky dormer windows and green-copper roofs that culminate in the Supreme Court of Canada building , a modern edifice built to match its predecessors. From here, turn inland and you'll soon reach Wellington Street and then Sparks Street, where the Sparks Street Mall - one of the country's earliest pedestrianized shopping streets - runs from Metcalfe to Lyon. Perhaps inevitably, it looks jaded today, despite some serious money being put in to jazz it up. The main reason to stray into this part of town is to visit the Currency Museum , 245 Sparks St (May-Aug Mon-Sat 10.30am-5pm, Sun 1-5pm; Sept-April Tues-Sat 10.30am-5pm, Sun 1-5pm; free), housed in the old HQ of the Bank of Canada. When they expanded their premises, the bank encased the original 1937 stone building within their new offices, which were themselves enclosed by two green-glass towers with an indoor jungle-like garden court. Within the garden, in front of the museum, is a huge Yap stone, a symbol of wealth in the South Pacific; such stones usually remain at the bottom of the sea, their possession simply changing hands among the islanders by agreement. Inside the museum the stress is on Canadian currencies, from the small beads and shells known as wampum through to playing cards, beaver pelts and modern banknotes.
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