The house is owned by the National Capital Commission. All prime ministers since Louis St. Laurent in 1951 have lived at 24 Sussex during their terms of office.
The house at 24 Sussex Drive was built in 1866 by Joseph Currier, a lumberman and member of Parliament, for his wife Hannah. He called the home, Gorffwysfa, Welsh for place of peace. Previous Prime Minsters had lived at a variety of locations about Ottawa. Mackenzie King, for instance lived at Laurier House in Sandy Hill.
It is a large, but not overly impressive structure on the edge of the Ottawa River next door to the French embassy and not far from Rideau Hall, the Governor Gerneral's residence. The house is shaded by trees and hedges and cannot easily be viewed from the road.
Each major Prime Minister has left their own mark on the building. Pierre Trudeau installed a pool for his frequent workouts. Brian Mulroney famously had a new closet installed to hold his wife's and his vast collection of Gucci shoes.
Unlike the White House or 10 Downing St it is used almost exclusively as a place of residence and the Prime Minister's work is carried out at the Prime Minister's Office.
Other Canadian official residences
