24 Sussex may represent 150 years of history — but is it worth saving?
Some say it’s time to replace the crumbling building with something uniquely Canadian
and programming space.
“I think that’s the critical issue. Is it more than a residence?” he asked.
Bulldozing 24 Sussex wouldn’t mean wiping out 150 years of Canadian history. Although it was built in 1868, a year after Confederation, it wasn’t until 1950 that the first prime minister, Louis St. Laurent, moved in.
And aside from its illustrious occupants, there’s arguably little about 24 Sussex that’s uniquely Canadian. It was built by an American — Vermont lumber magnate Joseph Currier — in a neo-Gothic style that was fashionable in Europe at the time.
Scott Weir, a principal at ERA Architects in Toronto, said he believes the shoddy state of the building is an opportunity to create a new, homegrown vision for the prime minister’s resi- dence. There are many “great architects in the country who would be able to design something that responds to what Canada is about,” he said.
But unlike some critics, Weir said he feels parts of the stone house are redeemable, and he doesn’t believe the whole thing should be torn down. He noted that Canadian architects have produced amazing work in recent years by grafting new structures onto old buildings, like Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music and the Museum of Nature in Ottawa. He envisions something similar for 24 Sussex.
“I think it would be possible to demolish a good chunk of the house and rebuild it,” he said. “There’s an opportunity to meld what were parts of the building with a very modern design that opens onto the landscape behind.”
Fix it up, tear it down, or maybe a little bit of both?
The official residence of Canadian prime ministers is in a sorry state. Its windows are shoddy, its wiring needs replacing, and the walls are full of asbestos. It will reportedly require upward of $10 million to fix 24 Sussex Drive, and rather than move into the famous address when he takes office next month, Justin Trudeau has opted to install his family in the only slightly less swanky Rideau Cottage instead.
While Trudeau has said he will make decisions about renovating 24 Sussex after he’s briefed by officials, some experts are saying the147-year-old building isn’t worth repairing.
Daniel Lieberman, an associate professor at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto, said that although the site of the house on the south bank of the Ottawa River is spectacular, the house itself “has no specific historical character.”
“The address is more important than the physical material,” he said.
Lieberman noted that while other countries’ leaders’ residences, like the White House, play host to important meetings, 24 Sussex has rarely served that function. Demolishing it would be an opportunity to create a prime ministerial home that also included event