24 Sussex Drive

24 Sussex Drive / Clockwise from top left: Heritage Ottawa / NCC / Ted Grant, Library and Archives Canada

NEWS UPDATE | MARCH 13, 2025: Trudeau proposes way forward on 24 Sussex problem during final days in power / CLICK HERE  to read the article on the CBC website. His request that an advisory committee be set up to find a long-term solution for the official residence is in keeping with Heritage Ottawa's recommendation in a letter to the Prime Minister in 2019 wherein stated: "Heritage Ottawa respectfully recommends that the Government of Canada appoint a committee headed by a widely respected, non-partisan Chair to make recommendations concerning 24 Sussex and concerning Prime Ministerial accommodation."

On April 4, 2024 the Globe and Mail reported that former prime ministers Jean Chrétien and Stephen Harper proposed a non-partisan solution to the Prime Minister's Office in support of the refurbishment of 24 Sussex Drive. They have volunteered to lead a fundraising campaign to raise money from individuals and businesses "who want the embarrassment to end". The article reports that the initial response was enthusiastic, but was turned down a few days later without explanation.  READ THE ARTICLE HERE.

CLICK HERE to read Heritage Ottawa's letter to the Prime Minister in support of the Chrétien/Harper initiative. 

Heritage Ottawa, the National Trust for Canada, HODI, Carleton's School of Canadian and Indigenous Studies, and the Azrieli School of Architecture have urged the Government of Canada to establish an Official Residences Commission, with an independent governance structure similar to Elections Canada, to ensure that the uses and maintenance of these structures can be assured for the future, free of partisan politics. 

Thank you to those of you who responded to our "Take Action" initiative calling on Canadians to contact the decision-makers to let them know that 24 Sussex Drive is an important national site worthy of investment. 

PANEL OF EXPERTS' DISCUSSION

On February 21, 2024, Heritage Ottawa, in partnership with the School of Canadian and Indigenous Studies, and the Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism at Carleton University, and Historic Ottawa Development Inc., hosted a lively panel discussion 24 SUSSEX DRIVE: FROM RESIDENCE TO RETICENCE that examined the constraints and opportunities of rehabilitating 24 Sussex Drive. Moderated by award-winning journalist Andrew Cohen, panelists included The Hon. Sheila Copps, Mark Brandt of TRACE architectures inc., Patricia Kell of the National Trust for Canada, and Marc Denhez of Historic Ottawa Development Inc (HODI).

CLICK HERE to view CPAC's recording of the event. 

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

The heritage value of 24 Sussex is without question:

  • Classified Federal Heritage Building at the confluence of Rideau Falls and the Ottawa River where Indigenous people have encamped from time immemorial before journeying into the interior.
  • Built in 1868 for lumber baron and MP Joseph Merrill Currier, the house is part of a suite of buildings designed in the Gothic Revival Style erected at the time of Confederation.
  • Along with Earnscliffe, and the Parliament Buildings themselves, it forms part of an elegant landscape of structures, located on one of the most dramatic – and iconic – landscapes in Canada that speak to the founding moments of our nation.
  • Purchased by the federal government in 1950, it was refurbished as the Prime Minister's official residence.
  • It is where important decision-makers have met and historic events and decisions have taken place that have shaped our national story.

24 Sussex is managed by the National Capital Commission and is currently undergoing long-overdue basic remediation work.

INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF 24 SUSSEX

The rehabilitation of 24 Sussex is also an opportunity for the federal government to demonstrate that the reuse and investment in heritage buildings is the environmentally sustainable solution. Even high profile buildings in its care can be adapted with flexibility, site intensification and thoughtful additions. 

In 2019, Heritage Ottawa wrote to the Prime Minister recommending the appointment of a committee headed by a non-partisan chair concerning the future of 24 Sussex and Prime Ministerial accommodation, in order to reverse its embarrassing state of neglect. 

CLICK HERE to watch "24 Sussex Drive - The Canadian Prime Minister's Residence - Canucks Unlimited Ep.004" on YouTube.

A sampling of the considerable news coverage devoted to 24 Sussex Drive follows. 

 

  • Un mouvement pour préserver le 24 Sussex s’organise

    Radio-Canada

    La firme d’architectes Historic Ottawa Development Inc. (HODI), ainsi que plusieurs organismes qui appuient la sauvegarde de la résidence du premier ministre au 24 Sussex, ont...

  • The future of 24 Sussex Drive should be based on facts, not fiction

    OPINION | Contributed to THE GLOBE AND MAIL, By Sheila Copps and Ken Grafton

    A trial balloon floated last week in Ottawa has everyone talking.

    It was an anonymous leak, first...

  • Ottawa looking to drop 24 Sussex and build new home for PM elsewhere: sources

    CBC NEWS | Ottawa, by Daniel LeBlanc

    The federal government is looking at dropping the dilapidated mansion at 24 Sussex in Ottawa as the prime minister's official residence and...

  • Construction work starts on 24 Sussex — but its future is still in doubt

    CBC NEWS | Ottawa, By John Paul Tasker

    Construction work has just started on 24 Sussex Drive, the prime minister's official residence. The building has fallen into a state of deep...

  • The state of 24 Sussex Drive is an increasingly absurd embarrassment

    Heritage Ottawa has been advocating for years for a solution to 24 Sussex Drive. Here is a recent opinion piece in the Globe and Mail. 

    The Globe and Mail | OPINION by John Ibbitson

    ...
  • Canada: PM’s residence is falling to bits – but who’s willing to pay for repairs?

    THE GUARDIAN, by Leyland Cecco

    Once home to Canada’s powerful lumber barons, 24 Sussex Drive, tucked away in a forested enclave of the capital, is one of the country’s most symbolically...

  • 24 Sussex: Most Canadians say political cowardice is the reason why PM’s official residence continues to crumble

    Angus Reid Institute 

    As the National Capital Commission prepares to begin abatement work on 24 Sussex Drive this spring, the future of the prime minister’s official residence – not...

  • NCC deferred maintenance deficit: A broken funding mechanism

    A broken funding mechanism endangers important national heritage assets to serve short-term partisan political strategy.

    Building Magazine | By Marc Denhez and Ken Grafton

    Some...

  • Future of 24 Sussex Drive: Demolishing the existing building would be "down right vandalism”

    CTV NEWS | Ottawa, by Peter Szperling 

    A prominent home renovation expert suggests replacing the prime minister's residence could cost $12 million, as debate continues on the future of 24...

  • National Capital Commission to close 24 Sussex Drive in Preparation for Abatement

    HERITAGE OTTAWA

    Heritage Ottawa was pleased to see yesterday's National Capital Commission announcement that it has begun the process of shutting down 24 Sussex Drive in order to begin...

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