Government House (Alberta)
Government House | |
---|---|
Steel framing and load-bearing masonry | |
Floor count | 4 |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | R. P. Blakey |
Official name | Government House, Edmonton, Alberta |
Designated | June 26, 2012 |
Official name | Government House |
Designated | June 7, 1985 |
Government House is the former official residence of the
The City of Edmonton maintains the Government House Park, part of the North Saskatchewan River valley parks system, in the river valley directly below the Government House clifftop location. Government House is about a 4-kilometre (2.5 mi) walk from the Alberta Legislature Building, northwest along the banks of the North Saskatchewan River.
The Royal Alberta Museum was housed in a separate building on the same property from 1967 until 2018.
Official viceregal residence (1913–1938)
The property for the house, with a large surrounding area, was purchased by the Province of Alberta in 1910. Construction on the building, intended from the outset to house the lieutenant governor, began in 1912, and the official opening was held on October 7, 1913. The three-storey building is constructed of sandstone in the Jacobean Revival style.
It was used as the
General use (1938–1964)
The building was used a boarding house for American pilots flying supplies up to the
Government House (1964 onwards)
When the building was returned to the provincial Crown, the Government of Alberta extensively restored and reopened as conference centre for government use. The grounds were also chosen as the site of the new Alberta Provincial Museum, which was built as a
Government House has since hosted many important functions, including visits by
Government House has reception rooms, conference rooms and support facilities. While it is no longer the viceregal residence, it is here that the lieutenant governor presides over swearing-in ceremonies for Cabinet ministers. Every Thursday while the legislature is in session, the caucus of the governing party meets in the Alberta Room, a 100-seat conference room on the top floor.
When not in use for official purposes, members of the public can take tours of the building at no cost. On display are artifacts and original pieces of furniture from the building's time as a residence and information is also provided about the building's restoration and current functions.
Alberta Viceregal residences (1938–2005)
From 1938 until 2005, Alberta owned and operated an official residence, a separate office, and provided an entertaining venue for the viceroy. The lieutenant governor lived in a Crown-owned house in the Glenora district of Edmonton (a single storey bungalow at 58 St Georges Crescent),[4] while holding an office at the Legislature Building, where royal assent is granted and where the lieutenant governor received the premier.
The house in Glenora was demolished in 2005 and lieutenant governors have since lived in a nearby house.[5][6]
New official residence
A new Royal Alberta Museum was built in Downtown Edmonton and opened in 2018.[7][8]
Then-Premier Stelmach and the Alberta government stated in 2011 that the site of the old museum, on the grounds of Government House, would be used to build a new official residence for the lieutenant governor. These plans have not come to fruition.[9]
See also
- Government Houses of Canada
- Government Houses of the British Empire
- Monarchy in Alberta
- Lieutenant Governor of Alberta
- List of lieutenant governors of Alberta
References
- ISBN 1553800311.
- ^ "Alberta's Government House". assembly.ab.ca. Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ "About the Royal Alberta Museum". Royal Alberta Museum. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
- ^ "Photo Collections". Archived from the original on 2010-11-23. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
- ^ "The Official Residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta". assembly.ab.ca. Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ News Staff (13 October 2020), Salma Lakhani: Alberta’s 19th lieutenant-governor also ‘happens to be Muslim’, CityNews, retrieved 25 November 2023
- ^ Franson, Jason (12 September 2018). "New Royal Alberta Museum set to open in downtown Edmonton on Oct. 3". National Post.
- ^ Gerein, Keith (12 September 2018). "New Royal Alberta Museum will open Oct. 3 with six free days of entry". Edmonton Journal. Edmonton.
- ^ "Downtown Edmonton site of new RAM". Edmonton Journal. April 7, 2011. Archived from the original on April 10, 2011. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
External links
- Government House, Edmonton, Alberta. Canadian Register of Historic Places. (Federal Historic Sites and Monuments Act Designation)
- Government House. Canadian Register of Historic Places. - (Provincial Historical Resources Act Designation)