A HOUSE FIT FOR A PRIME MINISTER?

"24 Sussex is not just any home. It is a nationally significant place that belongs to all Canadians, not to a prime minister nor to any political party," Heritage Ottawa in a 2019 letter to then PM Trudeau. 

"What does it say about us as a country that our prime minister's house is a ruin?" asks Toon Dreessen of Architects DCA.

"It's kind of silly -- disgraceful, really," says Robert Martin of Robertson Martin Architects.

This past weekend, the National Post and Ottawa Citizen published a lengthy article on the future of 24 Sussex Drive. Written by Simon Tuck, the article delves into the shameful political reasons why the historic building has been allowed to reach its current uninhabitable state. 

In his final days as prime minister, Justin Trudeau finally gave the problem some attention by setting a goal of January 2026 to create an advisory committee of eminent Canadians to make recommendations. Heritage Ottawa called on him to create such a non-partisan body back in 2019, but it fell on deaf ears. His parting initiative has not resulted in any action on the part of the Privy Council Office to date. 

The article asks several architect, "What are the options?" Many seem to agree that a major renovation of the existing residence with the addition of a new functional structure or wing would be a sensible plan. The $100 million price tag that some have claimed was viewed as "way over market." 

Others noted the advantages to tearing down and rebuilding on the same site while incorporating historical artifacts into the new construction. A third option is to find a whole new site, like a Rockcliffe Park property or Rideau Cottage on the grounds of Rideau Hall where the prime minister currently resides. 

Last October, Heritage Ottawa president Katherine Spencer-Ross wrote to Prime Minister Carney that she understands the concerns of those who say the rehabilitation of 24 Sussex "sends the wrong message" during a housing crisis. "But is it not also a wrong message that an otherwise sound structure is sent to landfill? That it continues to lie vacant? That a nationally significant property is allowed to fall into ruin?"

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Photo: Postmedia