24 Sussex Drive: Encyclopedia II - 24 Sussex Drive - History

24 Sussex Drive - History

The house was acquired by the Government of Canada in 1943 and, like most official residences, is managed by the National Capital Commission. All prime ministers since Louis St. Laurent in 1951 (with the exception of Kim Campbell) have lived at 24 Sussex during their terms of office.

The house at 24 Sussex Drive was built in 1866 by Joseph Merrill Currier, a lumberman and Member of Parliament, for his wife Hannah. He called the home, Gorffwysfa, Welsh for place of rest. Previous prime ministers had lived at a variety of locations about Ottawa. Sir Wilfrid Laurier and Mackenzie King, for instance lived at Laurier House in Sandy Hill.

It 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, the Governor General's residence. The house is shaded by trees and hedges. Unlike the White House or 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.

Several prime ministers have left their own marks on the building. Pierre Trudeau installed a pool for his frequent workouts. The high cost of the Mulroneys' changes to the building caused political controversy. However, this was only because he was the first Prime Minister to make the costs public. It is the Prime Minister's responsibility to furnish the house as it is cleared completely after the incumbent's term is up. Jean Chrétien's expenses proved to be even more expensive than Mulroney's. Since then, very little has been spent on renovating the building, leaving parts of it somewhat tattered and outdated.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". It will need to be renovated before Prime Minister Stephen Harper can move in.

Security at 24 Sussex was overhauled following a break-in by a deranged man (André Dallaire) armed with a knife who tried to assassinate the then Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien. The man managed to scale the fence surrounding the property without being noticed by security and entered the house. The noise he made woke up Aline Chrétien, the Prime Minister's wife, who locked the door to the bedroom. Chrétien famously prepared to defend himself with a sharp-edged Inuit carving. Fortunately, bodyguards responded quickly and arrested the man.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "History", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki