Ben and Rachel's chinchilla to vacate house called Gorffwysfa
Ottawa landmark to be refurbished before Trudeau family moves in
By Mark
Schadenberg
Justin
Trudeau grew up at 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa when pops Pierre was
Prime Minister, but it's not known when Ella-Grace, Hadrien and
Xavier will move into the official residence.
Justin,
Sophie Gregoire and their kinder trois must wait to relocate to the
house of the Prime Minister while Sussex successfully undergoes major
renovations.
24 Sussex Drive, Ottawa
We're
not talking Mike Holmes accompanied by a crew of four clad in
coveralls to remodel the kitchen as a Canadian Press story attached
below notes that the National Capital Commission estimates a price
tag of about $12 million and a time span of as long as 15 months for
the refurbishment of the Sussex Drive residence currently the home of
Stephen, Laureen, Ben, Rachel, and a chinchilla named Charlie.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Bill
Curry of The Globe And Mail wrote this:
There
is asbestos in the walls, the plumbing is deficient and the entire
electrical system has been operating at capacity for at least a
decade.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Now
it appears the much-needed repairs will no longer be put off.
The
new Prime Minister – it's not known if the family has a pet
chinchilla – will move into a house which is on the Governor
General's estate known as Rideau Hall. The Trudeau family will call
the 22-room Rideau Cottage their home until the tinkering is
completed at the Sussex abode. According to published reports, the
Rideau Cottage (built in 1866) was renovated as recently as 2013 and
even though the public can visit the grounds / property of Rideau
Hall, the so-called cottage is not part of the acreage with access
for tourists.
All
Victorian homes need upkeep and improvements, just ask anyone
employed in the insurance field.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
From
the Canadian Press:
Broadcaster
Catherine Clark, who is the daughter of former PM Joe Clark, said she
recalls her mother telling a story about an electrical problem they
encountered in her father's den more than 30 years ago.
"When
they turned on a light on one side of the room, it blew the light out
on the other side of the room," Clark said. "Those are the
kinds of things that happened in 1979, so you can imagine what kind
of repairs are needed at this stage."
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Some
excerpts I read online describe 24 Sussex as too hot and arid in the
summer with no air conditioning, and then too cold in the winter
months.
Next
summer, I should take my family to Ottawa and check up on the
progress of re-wiring, retro-fitting, insulating, installing duct
work, the removal of asbestos and chinchilla deposits, and naturally
the polishing of the chandeliers.
Compiling
info for this writing, it's interesting to note that the Prime
Minister's home was built around the 1867 Confederation era, but
built by a member of parliament named Joseph Currier. The residence
needed a name, so he called it by the Welsh named of 'Gorffwysfa' or
'place of rest'.
Since
Americans sometimes like to take credit for something Canadian, maybe
now is a good time to mention that Currier's trade was lumber and
that he was originally from Vermont.
In
1951, Louis St Laurent would be the first Prime Minister to call 24
Sussex home after the federal government expropriated the property,
but did so mainly for security reasons as both Sussex Drive and the
nearby Rideau Hall property were so close to the Ottawa River and its
accompanying inlet to the Rideau River.
Research
posted on the internet by contributors to something called Wikipedia
note that Kim Campbell is the only Prime Minister to have not resided
there since 1951. Campbell's tenure as our nation's top elected
bureaucrat didn't last long though – June 25 to November 4, 1993.
In
pictures of 24 Sussex it is easily seen that the limestone structure
includes three stories with dormers on the third floor.
Many
Canadians would remember the occasion in 1995 when PM Jean Chretien's
wife Aline discovered an intruder, which indicates that the security
system both for motion sensors and personnel was lacking at the time.
As
elections go, the Trudeau-led Liberals vaulted from third place to
first in the most recent plebiscite, which means living at Stornoway
– home of the leader of the Official Opposition, wouldn't logically
be possible. Thomas Mulcair of the NDP party called Stornoway home
recently and there is no reason to believe the Harper family will
reside there.
Therefore,
it would seem Justin Trudeau has earned the title of Prime Minister,
but will have to wait until 2017 to enjoy his new address. . . just in (Justin) time for the Canada 150 parties.
LINKS:
http://www.lfpress.com/2015/10/26/justin-trudeau-and-family-to-live-in-rideau-cottage-not-24-sussex
http://www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-visit/official-residences/24-sussex-drive
Mark
Schadenberg, Sales Representative
Senior
Real Estate Specialist (SRES designation)
Royal
LePage Triland Realty Brokerage
757
Dundas St, Woodstock
No comments:
Post a Comment