Government Houses in Canada
In Canada, Government House is a title given to the official residences of the country's monarch and various viceroys (the governor general and the lieutenant governors). 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 in Ottawa is known as Government House only in formal contexts, being more generally referred to as Rideau Hall. The use of the term Government House is an inherited custom from the British Empire, where there were and are many Government Houses.
Present Government Houses
| Building name | Residents' positions | Location | Image | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rideau Hall | Governor General of Canada (1864-) | Ottawa |  |
Functioning residence. |
| Citadelle of Quebec | Governor General of Canada (1872-) | Quebec City |  |
Functioning residence. |
| Government House | Governor of Nova Scotia (circa 1800-1867) Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia (1867-) |
Halifax |  |
Functioning residence. |
| Government House | Governor of New Brunswick (1828-1867) Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick (1867-1890; 1999-) |
Fredericton | .gif) |
Other uses 1896-1988, reoccupied as official residence thereafter, now functioning residence. |
| Government House | Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba (1885-) | Winnipeg |  |
Functioning residence. |
| Government House | Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia (1959-) | Victoria |  |
Functioning residence. |
| Fanningbank | Governor of Prince Edward Island (1834-1873) Lieutenant-Governor of Prince Edward Island (1873-) |
Charlottetown |  |
Functioning residence. |
| Government House | Lieutenant-Governor of the North-West Territories (1889-1905) Lieutenant-Governor of Saskatchewan (1905-1945) |
Regina |  |
Other uses 1945 – 1984, now offices (but not residence) of Lt-Gov. |
| Government House | Governor of Newfoundland (1827-1949) Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador (1949-) |
St. John's |  |
Functioning residence. |
Former Government Houses
| Building name | Residents' positions | Location | Image | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chateau St. Louis[1] | Governor of Quebec (1760 – 1791) Lieutenant-Governor of Lower Canada and Governor-General of British North America (1791 – 1834) |
Quebec City |  |
Destroyed by fire, 1834 |
| Chateau de Ramezay[1] | Lieutenant-Governor of Lower Canada and Governor-General of British North America (circa 1834) |
Montreal |  |
Now a museum. |
| Government House | Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada (1800 – 1813) | York | Destroyed by explosion, 1813 | |
| 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. |
| Alwington House | Governor General of the Province of Canada (1841 – 1844) | Kingston | Damaged by fire, 1958; demolished, 1959. | |
| 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. |
| 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. | ||
| 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. | ||
| Government House | Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia (190? – 1957) | Victoria | Destroyed by fire 1957. | |
| Government House | Lieutenant-Governor of the Northwest Territories (1883 – 1889) | Regina | Replaced 1889, demolished 1908. | |
| Government House | Lieutenant Governor of Alberta (1913 – 1938) | Edmonton |  |
Other uses 1948 – 1964, now the "Alberta Government Conference Centre". |
| 58 St. George's Crescent[2] | Lieutenant Governor of Alberta (1966 – 2004) | Edmonton | Demolished 2005. | |
| Government House | Governor of Newfoundland (1781 – 1831) | St. John's | ||
| The Monklands | Governor General of the Province of Canada (1844 – 1849) | Montreal |  |
Capital moved (1849), now high school. |
| Government House | Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories (1878 – 1883) | Battleford | Capital moved to Regina (1883), building destroyed by fire 2003. |
References
Notes
Sources
- "Some Notes on Architecture, Interiors, and Gardens in Quebec 1831" L. A. Aylmer, E. A. Wylie Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology, Vol. 7, No. 2 (1975), pp. 2–8 Published by: Association for Preservation Technology International (APT) Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1493491
See also
- Government Houses of the British Empire
- Government House (disambiguation)
- Governor's Mansion
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.svg.png){kind=small}