Rideau Hall
See also: Curtain (homonymy)
Rideau Hall , located at the 1, Walk Sussex, with Ottawa is since 1867 the official residence of the General governor of Canada and the place of residence of the Canadian monarch when it remains with Ottawa.
Contrary to several residences of Heads of State of other nations (like Buckingham Palace or the White House, Rideau Hall is not located at the center of the city. The place is rather isolated, which gives him the character of a private residence.
Structure
The residence was built in 1838 by the mason and contractor Thomas McKay and its family, which occupied it until in 1855. The architecture of the house is of style victorien and Edwardian.
After McKay and its family, the house was rented for temporary accommodation, but it also increased with many recoveries, including the addition of an interior tennis court in 1872, as well as a ring of ice and a slide of toboggan. Today, the slide and the tennis court do not exist any more. The old one tennis court is currently “Tent Room”, used on some formal occasions. The main entrance, designed by David Ewart, architect as a chief of the Dominion, and supplemented in 1914, unified the front of the structure with a common style of Georgienne architecture built starting from limestone.
During the summer 2007, the principal frontage of Rideau Hall will undergo major restorations by the Commission of the national capital.
Art and decoration
History
The residence was built in 1838 to place the Scottish contractor Thomas McKay and its family, which lived there until 1855.When the queen Victoria chooses Ottawa in 1858 like new capital of the Province of Canada, Rideau Hall became the residence of Lord Monck, then General governor of British North America. In 1867, Lord Monck became the first General governor of Canada, and Rideau Hall remained the residence of its successors.
At the origin rented like provisional residence, the house was increased several times, including by the addition of a Tennis court of interior in 1872, of a skating rink and a slide with sledges. The old one tennis court is now the Tent Room , used for the formal occasions.
The main entrance, finished in 1913, contains all the armorial bearings of the governors of Canada, starting from Samuel de Champlain, the first governor of the News-France. The portraits of the British general governors are exposed in the Tent Room , and the portraits of the Canadian general governors (starting from Vincent Massey) in the Reception Room . The portraits of the wives of the general governors are in the Drawing Room . As it is of use to plant a tree with each official reception of a distinguished person, the park includes/understands many trees provided with small signs pointing out the name of the grower, among whom one notices Elisabeth II, the queen Mère, the Princesse Diana, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Kofi Annan, etc
Restoration
In 2006-2007 of work of restorations are undertaken in order to restore the frontage which had not been improved since 1910. This work, which was supposed to finish in spring 2007, always continues.
| Random links: | Chavannes-the-oak | John Sutter | Charles Follen McKim | Stavkirke de Heddal | Mireille in the life of the others | Ta'awwudh |