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 .
There is currently no government house for the Lieutenant Governors of Ontario (repurposed in 1937 and demolished in 1961 ), Quebec (destroyed by fire in 1966 ), or Alberta (closed in 1938 and repurchased and repurposed in 1964 ).
Present government houses [ edit ]
Former Government Houses [ edit ]
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 [ edit ]
^ a b Aylmer
^ [1]
Sources [ edit ]
"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 [ edit ]