Government Houses in Canada
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
Former Government Houses
| 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
Notes
- 1 2 Aylmer
- ↑
Sources
- "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
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