24 Sussex Drive: Difference between revisions
John Leach (talk | contribs) (ok) |
mNo edit summary |
||
| Line 11: | Line 11: | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
[[Category:Reviewed Passed]] | [[Category:Reviewed Passed]][[Category:Suggestion Bot Tag]] | ||
Latest revision as of 06:00, 4 July 2024
24 Sussex Drive is a 34-room limestone mansion set on 3.98 acres of land overlooking the Ottawa River, in Ottawa. It is best known for being, since 1951, the official residence of the Prime Minister of Canada.
The building was originally built in the Gothic Revival Style between 1866 and 1868 by Joseph Merrill Currier, a mill owner and Member of Parliament. He named the building Gorffwysta, Welsh for "place of rest". In 1902, the house was sold to lumber manufacturer W. C. Edwards, who had significant alterations made in 1907–1908.
The house was purchased by the Government of Canada in 1943 and was redesigned to give it its current appearance. The house became the official residence of the Prime Minister in 1951, when Louis St. Laurent moved into the house. Since then, all Prime Ministers, except for Kim Campbell, have lived at 24 Sussex during their terms of office. Previously, prime ministers had lived at a variety of locations about Ottawa. For example, Sir Wilfrid Laurier and William Lyon Mackenzie King lived at Laurier House in Sandy Hill.
Unlike the White House and 10 Downing Street, 24 Sussex Drive is used almost exclusively as a residence, not for government business. The house and grounds are not open to the public.