24 Sussex Drive

24 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Canada.

History

The house was acquired by the Government of Canada in 1943 and 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 Drive during their appointment.

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. 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.