Government Houses in Canada
InCanada,Government Houseis a title given to theofficial residencesof the country'smonarch,variousviceroys(thegovernor general,thelieutenant governors), andterritorial commissioners.[a]Though not universal, in most cases the title is also the building's sole name; for example, the sovereign's and governor general's principal residence inOttawais known asGovernment Houseonly in formal contexts, being more generally referred to asRideau Hall.The use of the termGovernment Houseis an inherited custom from theBritish Empire,where there were and aremany government houses.
There is currently no government house for the lieutenant governors ofOntario(repurposed in 1937 and demolished in 1961),Quebec(destroyed by fire in 1966),Alberta(closed in 1938 and repurchased and repurposed in 1964), or theCommissioner of the Northwest Territories.The lieutenant governor of Ontario has a suite within theOntario Legislative Building,as does the lieutenant governor of Quebec in theÉdifice André-Laurendeau.
Present government houses[edit]
| Building name | Residents' positions | Location | Image | Notes and details | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rideau Hall | Governor General of Canada(1867–present) | Ottawa | 
|
Functioning official residence; primary residence | Canada |
| Citadelle of Quebec | Governor General of Canada (1872–present) | Quebec City | 
|
Functioning official residence; secondary residence | Canada |
| Government House | Governor of Nova Scotia(1805–1867) Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia(1867–present) |
Halifax | 
|
Functioning official residence | Nova Scotia |
| Government House | Governor of New Brunswick(1828–1867) Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick(1867–1890; 1999–present) |
Fredericton | 
|
Other uses 1896–1988; presently functioning official residence | New Brunswick |
| Government House | Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba(1885–present) | Winnipeg | 
|
Functioning official residence | Manitoba |
| Government House | Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia(1959–present) | Victoria | 
|
Functioning official residence | British Columbia |
| Fanningbank | Governor of Prince Edward Island(1834–1873) Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island(1873–present) |
Charlottetown | 
|
Functioning official residence | Prince Edward Island |
| Government House | Lieutenant Governor of the North-West Territories(1889–1905) Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan(1905–1945) |
Regina | 
|
Other uses 1945–1984; presently functioning viceregal offices | Saskatchewan |
| Government House | Governor of Newfoundland(1827–1949) Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador(1949–present) |
St. John's | 
|
Functioning official residence | Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Taylor House (412 Main Street) |
Commissioner of Yukon(2015–present) | Whitehorse | Private residence 1937–2015; presently functioning official residence | Yukon | |
| Commissioner's Residence (2554 Paurngaq Crescent) |
Commissioner of Nunavut(1999–present) | Iqaluit | Functioning official residence | Nunavut |
Former government houses[edit]
| Building name | Residents' positions | Location | Image | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commissioner's Residence[1] | Commissioner of Yukon(1898–1953) | Dawson City | Now aParks Canadahistoric site | |
| Chateau St. Louis[2] | Governor of Quebec(1760–1791) Lieutenant Governor of Lower Canada andGovernor General of British North America(1791–1834) |
Quebec City | 
|
Destroyed by fire, 1834; now site ofChâteau Frontenac |
| Chateau de Ramezay[2] | Lieutenant Governor of Lower Canada andGovernor General of British North America(c. 1834) |
Montreal | 
|
Now a museum. |
| Government House | Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada(1800–1813) | York | Destroyed by explosion, 1813. Site is located with current dayFort York. | |
| Elmsley House | Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada(1800–1813) Governor General of the Province of Canada(1849–1852, 1856–1858) |
Toronto | 
|
Destroyed by fire, 1862. Now occupied byMetro HallandRoy Thomson Hall. |
| Alwington House | Governor General of the Province of Canada(1841–1844) | Kingston | Damaged by fire, 1958; demolished, 1959. Site now Alwington Place as well as retaining wall for Llynlea (Arthur Davies home) 1963. | |
| Government House | Lieutenant Governor of Ontario(1868–1912) | Toronto | 
|
Sold and demolished, 1912. |
| Chorley Park | Lieutenant Governor of Ontario(1915–1937) | Toronto | 
|
Other uses, then demolished 1961. Now site of city park. |
| Spencerwood | Lieutenant Governor of Quebec(1870–1966) | Quebec City | 
|
Destroyed by fire in 1966. |
| Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories(1870–1876) | Fort Garry | Capital moved to Fort Livingstone. | ||
| Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories(1876–1877) | Fort Livingstone | Capital moved to Battleford. Now site of Fort Livingstone National Historic Site. | ||
| Cary Castle | Governor of Vancouver Island(1865–1866) Governor of the United Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia(1868–1871) Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia(1871–1903) |
Victoria | 
|
Destroyed by fire 1903. |
| Governor of British Columbia(18??–1866) Governor of the United Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia(1866–1868) |
New Westminster | Capital moved to Victoria. Now Royal City Manor. | ||
| Government House | Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia(190?–1957) | Victoria | Destroyed by fire 1957. Government House rebuilt after fire. | |
| Government House | Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories(1883–1889) | Regina | Replaced 1889, demolished 1908. Now site ofLuther College. | |
| Government House | Lieutenant Governor of Alberta(1913–1938) | Edmonton | 
|
Other uses 1948 – 1964, now the Alberta Government Conference Centre. |
| 58 St. George's Crescent[3] | Lieutenant Governor of Alberta(1966–2004) | Edmonton | Demolished 2005. | |
| Government House in Fort Townshend | Governor of Newfoundland(1781–1831) | St. John's | ||
| The Monklands | Governor General of the Province of Canada(1844–1849) | Montreal | 
|
Capital moved (1849), now Catholic high school,Villa Maria. |
| Government House | Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories(1878–1883) | Battleford | Capital moved to Regina (1883), building destroyed by fire 2003. Still National historic site with archaeological remains of the destroyed structure. | |
| Lieutenant Governor's Residence | Lieutenant Governor of Cape Breton Island 1786–1820 | Sydney, Nova Scotia | Built after 1786 (temporary Government House was used) and used until 1820 when colony dissolved back into Nova Scotia. Later site of Court House and Jail. Since redeveloped into residential area bounded by Desbarres, George, Amelia and Charlotte Streets. |
See also[edit]
- Government House
- Government Houses of the British Empire and Commonwealth
- Governor's Mansion (disambiguation)
References[edit]
- ^"Commissioner's Residence - Commissioner of Yukon".Archived fromthe originalon 2009-10-09.
- ^abAylmer
- ^"Archived copy".www2.canada.com.Archived fromthe originalon 18 January 2013.Retrieved2 February2022.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Notes[edit]
- ^Though not technically viceroys, theCommissioners of the Canadian territoriesfill a similar role and their residences are listed here for completion
Sources[edit]
- Aylmer, L. A.; Wylie, E. A. (1975). "Some Notes on Architecture, Interiors, and Gardens in Quebec 1831".Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology.7(2): 2–8.doi:10.2307/1493491.JSTOR1493491.