24 Sussex Drive
 North façade of Gorffwysfa |
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| Building | |
|---|---|
| Architectural style | Norman Revival |
| Town | 24 Sussex Drive Ottawa, Ontario |
| Country | Canada |
| Client | Joseph Merrill Currier |
| Owner | The Queen in Right of Canada (Elizabeth II) |
| Coordinates | |
| Construction | |
| Started | 1866 |
| Design team | |
| Architect | Joseph Merrill Currier |
24 Sussex Drive (also known as Gorffwysfa) is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Canada. Built between 1866 and 1868 by Joseph Merrill Currier, it has been the home of almost every prime minister since Louis St. Laurent.
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The house at 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa was originally commissioned in 1866 by lumberman and Member of Parliament, Joseph Merrill Currier, as a wedding gift for his wife to be.[1] He named it Gorffwysfa, Welsh for "place of rest."
In 1943, the federal Crown served then owner Gordon Edwards with an eviction notice. Edwards fought the eviction but eventually lost the dispute with the government in 1946.[2] Louis St. Laurent became the first prime minister to take up residence there in 1951. Besides Kim Campbell, every prime minister since that date has resided at 24 Sussex Drive for the duration of their appointment; previous prime ministers lived at a variety of locations around Ottawa: Sir Wilfrid Laurier and William Lyon Mackenzie King, for instance lived at Laurier House in Sandy Hill during their respective appointments.
- Further information: List of Canadian Prime Ministers by residence
Security at 24 Sussex was overhauled following an attempted assassination by André Dallaire, who wandered around the house and grounds for nearly an hour before being confronted outside Jean Chrétien's bedroom by the Prime Minister's wife Aline, who locked the door to the bedroom while Chrétien guarded the door with an Inuit stone carving. Measures put in place after the attempted assassination include the addition of several more guards to the house's attache, the installation of crash-proof barriers within the main gates and the addition of several more security cameras. Ultimately, Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers arrested Dallaire. Also, despite the building not having any bureaucratic function, it has been the location of protests, such as when farmers drove their tractors in a convoy past the front of the property in 2006,[3] and when Greenpeace activists chained themselves to the front gates in March, 2007.[4]
Gorffwysfa is a large limestone structure of 34 rooms set on 3.98 acres (16,000 m²) on the edge of the Ottawa River, next door to the French embassy and opposite the main entrance to Rideau Hall. Unlike 10 Downing Street, it is used almost exclusively as a place of residence; the Prime Minister's work is carried out in the Langevin Building, near Parliament Hill, though informal meetings between the Prime Minister and other government or foreign officials may take place in the residence.[5]
It is each successive prime minister's responsibility to furnish the house, as it is cleared completely after each prime minister leaves office. Because of this, several prime ministers have left their own marks on the building; for example, unnamed business associates of Pierre Trudeau installed a pool for his frequent workouts. Being the first to publicly reveal the renovation costs, the high tab for Brian and Mila Mulroney's changes to the building caused political controversy, especially when some of the costs were paid for from the PC Canada Fund, which raised money from individual donations to fund the Progressive Conservative Party.
Since then, very little has been spent on renovating the building, leaving parts of it somewhat tattered and outdated. Most notable is the leopard spot carpet Mila Mulroney put on the staircase. The house lacks central air conditioning and is cooled by a series of noisy window air conditioners. In November 2004, Prime Minister Paul Martin complained about the house's heating system. According to his statement, the century-old house gets "too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer." Prime Minister Stephen Harper moved in on February 9, 2006, and has said he may move out temporarily during the summer so that renovations may be done.
On May 6, 2008 the Auditor General reported that the house is in poor condition and needs about $10 million in repairs and upgrades, which would require at least 12 to 15 months of "full access" to complete.[6]
- ^ National Capital Commission: 24 Sussex Drive
- ^ National Capital Commission: 24 Sussex Drive
- ^ CBC News: Tractors bring farmers' protest to 24 Sussex Drive; April 24, 2006
- ^ CBC News: Greenpeace targets 24 Sussex Drive; March 19, 2007
- ^ Dougherty, Kevin; The Gazette: Ministers to discuss dollar at 24 Sussex Drive; December 20, 2007
- ^ CBC News: Deportation failures, costly passports focus of AG's report; May 6, 2008
- 24 Sussex Drive
- Prime Minister of Canada website - History of 24 Sussex
- CBC Archives: A break in at 24 Sussex Drive
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