OTTAWA - The federal government has announced a plan to restore the official residence of the prime minister at 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa through a national design competition and fundraising campaign.
Here is a short history of the storied building.
1867-68: 24 Sussex Drive is built by Joseph Merrill Currier, a lumber baron and member of Parliament. It was designed by his brother, James Monroe Currier, an architect from the U.S.
1949: The building is expropriated by the federal government.
1950: 24 Sussex is refurbished as the official residence of the prime minister.
1951: Prime Minister Louis St-Laurent becomes 24 Sussex's first prime ministerial tenant.
1986: 24 Sussex is designated as a classified federal heritage building.
2008: A report from the auditor general's office pegs the cost of renovating the building at $10 million, including cracked windows, faulty plumbing and electrical systems. There was also asbestos found in the home.
2015: 24 Sussex becomes vacant as former prime minister Justin Trudeau and his family move into Rideau Cottage, pending a plan to address the needed renovations.
2022: The building is closed by the National Capital Commission for "health and safety reasons." Those include a rodent infestation in the walls.
2023-24: The National Capital Commission completes a $4.3 million abatement and decommissioning project to store heritage items like doors and mouldings, get rid of asbestos and remove obsolete mechanical, heating and electrical systems.
March 2025: Mark Carney becomes the second prime minister in a row to move into Rideau Cottage, instead of 24 Sussex Drive.
June 26, 2026: Prime Minister Mark Carney unveils plans to restore 24 Sussex Drive through a national design competition and fundraising campaign. He says the winning design proposal will be announced by Canada Day 2027.
This report by ¹ú²úÓÕ»ó¸£Àû was first published June 26, 2026.