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"path": "/a-brief-history-of-24-sussex-ottawa",
"publishedAt": "2026-06-26T20:06:47.000Z",
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"textContent": "\n\n\n\nThe 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.\n\nHere is a short history of the storied building.\n\n1867-68: 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.\n\n1949: The building is expropriated by the federal government.\n\n1950: 24 Sussex is refurbished as the official residence of the prime minister.\n\n1951: Prime Minister Louis St-Laurent becomes 24 Sussex's first prime ministerial tenant.\n\n1986: 24 Sussex is designated as a classified federal heritage building.\n\n2008: 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.\n\n2015: 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.\n\n2022: The building is closed by the National Capital Commission for \"health and safety reasons.\" Those include a rodent infestation in the walls.\n\n2023-24: 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.\n\nMarch 2025: Mark Carney becomes the second prime minister in a row to move into Rideau Cottage, instead of 24 Sussex Drive.\n\nJune 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.\n\nThis report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2026.\n\n_By The Canadian Press staff | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved._",
"title": "A brief history of 24 Sussex, the former — and future — home of prime ministers"
}