When I first embarked on writing about every prime minister in chronological order back in the spring, I talked about it with my brother, who has a degree in Political Science and an affinity for random trivia that no one else cares about (that runs in the family). We came up with some topics to cover in this and the one that I hovered around the most is 24 Sussex Drive. And we are finally here, at 24 Sussex Drive, as Louis St. Laurent was the first prime minister to use the estate as his private residence.

Louis St. Laurent and his wife, Jeanette, greeting Queen Elizabeth at 24 Sussex Drive.

There is a lore surrounding the homes of powerful people, from the White House to Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Versailles, there is intrigue around these landmarks, as they are the backdrop for some of the most famous historical events in our memories.

However, there isn’t an air of intrigue around 24 Sussex Drive. If anything, there is an air of pity surrounding the building, which our current PM, Trudeau Jr., hasn’t lived in during his entire tenure as prime minister due to is dismal state. Trudeau has publicly said that despite growing up in the residence while his dad was in power, he is unlikely to live there during his time as PM, opting for a cottage on the Governor General’s property, aptly named Rideau Cottage.

But 24 Sussex Drive wasn’t always in this state. It was originally built in 1866 by Joseph Merrill Currier, a lumber baron and member of the Legislative Assembly for the then-Province of Canada, as wedding gift to his third wife Hannah. As a slight digression, Currier was twice widowed before marrying Hannah Wright, granddaughter of Philemon Wright, who is credited with founding the city of Gatineau. He married his second wife, Ann Crosby, in 1861, and while showing her around a lumber mill in Manotick a month later, her dress got caught in the shaft of a milling machine. The force threw her into a wooden post and she died from her head injuries. In distress, Currier cut ties with the business, and began a political career. There are tales of Ann’s ghost still haunting Waton’s Mill in Manotick. Apologies for the digression, but it’s stories like this that make me fall in love with history and the human flaws that stain it.

Anyways, as mentioned, 24 Sussex Drive was built as a gift for Currier’s third wife, Hannah, and was completed in 1868. It was originally titled Gorffwysfa, which I have no idea how to pronounce but translates to “place of rest” in Welsh. The estate was built on the south bank of the Ottawa River and spans over 4 acres. The house itself features 34 (!!) rooms over 4 floors, including a library, dining room and a sun room. Hannah lived there until her death in 1901, when it was sold to William Edwards, an Liberal MP from Ontario. He passed the house onto his nephew, Gordon Edwards, who had the property divested from him by the federal Crown-in-Council. In 1943, the Council used its power of expropriation to overtake ownership of the property, and although Edwards fought the government’s actions, he ultimately lost the dispute and it officially became property of the Canadian government in 1946.

24 Sussex Drive - the official residence of the Canadian Prime Minster, although not right now.

The government wanted the property enough to divest a private owner out of his stake in it. By this time, the Government of Canada owned nearly all of the properties along the Ottawa River and there were fears that private ownership would result in the commercialization of the properties not under federal control. Edwards contested the eviction notice, but ultimately lost the legal battle in 1946. After four years of renovations and uncertainty, Louis St. Laurent and his family made it home in 1951, starting the tradition of it becoming the official residence of the prime minister of Canada. He moved in on the condition that he would pay rent for the use of the home, a custom that remained in tact until 1971.

Before then, prime ministers were largely responsible for their own accommodations while running the country. Wilfred Laurier’s house in Sandy Hill was home to both Laurier and William Lyon Mackenzie King during their reigns. As both leaders were of the Liberal cloth, it is unlikely that a leader from a Tory background would have felt comfortable living in Laurier House, which is now also official property of the Government of Canada. And the Ottawa Citizen made a cool map of where the other prime ministers lived before 24 Sussex Drive.

Map of the various PM’s residences, thanks to the Ottawa Citizen.

In the six decades it has been used as the official residence of the Prime Minister of Canada, the state of the house has crumbled. In 2008, the Auditor General estimated $10 million would be required to upgrade and renovate the house. Multiple prime ministers have been coy when it comes to spending money on the residence, fearing scrutiny for spending tax payers money on their home. In 2005, Rick Mercer used his segment to help then-PM Paul Martin to draft-proof some of the windows.

The decrepit state of 24 Sussex Drive is no secret. The Washington Post has profiled the building and the lack of funds going into its upkeep. And Justin Trudeau’s refusal to live there is quite the message: it’s not fit for the leader of the country, let along to host dignitaries or heads of state. Currently the future of the building is unclear, with many, including the wives of former prime ministers, calling for the building to be demolished and a new, more modern residence to be built in its wake.

So there is the history of 24 Sussex Drive, and the blog I was aching to write. Also apologies for the tardiness of this post. I was too excited to rush it. Here’s to hoping the posts come at more regular intervals again.

And because I haven’t spoken much of St. Laurent in here, using his blog to write about his house instead, let’s end it on a quote from him.

“I didn’t know there were two languages in Canada. I just thought that there was one way to speak to my father and another to my mother”