What happened to 24 Sussex?

Following the death of Joseph Merrill Currier, his widow remained at 24 Sussex until her own death in 1901, at which point it was sold to William Cameron Edwards — who, like Currier, made his fortune in the lumber industry before turning his attention to politics. Upon his passing, the house went to his nephew, Edward, who, like both his uncle and Currier, was eventually elected to Parliament, where he spent one term as MP for Ottawa.

Edwards would also become the last nonprime ministerial resident to occupy 24 Sussex, although he spent his final years battling the federal government, which launched a campaign to evict him from what was by then the last privately held estate on Sussex Drive, in 1943.

Edwards appealed the order in court, and though he ultimately lost the fight, he was able to remain in the house, albeit on a month-to-month basis, until his death in 1946.

The house was briefly the temporary headquarters of the Australian High Commission, but a decision was made to designate it as the official prime ministerial residence, which prompted yet another architectural overhaul. In 1951, Louis St. Laurent became the first prime minister to live there — and as of today, it seems that former prime minister Stephen Harper may be the last to do so for some time.

Since the Harpers’ departure, the house has stood empty, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau choosing to settle in at the nearby Rideau Cottage in order to give the National Capital Commission the necessary time and space to decide how — or even whether — to proceed with the much-needed restoration of 24 Sussex.