Government House (Alberta)

Government House
Main façade of Government House
General information
Type	House / Conference Centre
Architectural style	Edwardian Tudor revival / Jacobethan
Address	12845 102 Avenue
Town or city	Edmonton, Alberta
Country	Canada
Coordinates	53°32′30″N 113°32′39″W / 53.541579°N 113.544039°W / 53.541579; -113.544039
Current tenants	Government of Alberta
Construction started	1912
Inaugurated	1913
Cost	$345,882
Client	The King in Right of Alberta (Edward VII)
Owner	The Queen in Right of Alberta (Elizabeth II)
Height
Top floor	3rd
Technical details
Structural system	Steel framing and load-bearing masonry
Floor count	4
Design and construction
Architect	R. P. Blakey

Government House is the former official residence of the Lieutenant Governors of Alberta. Located in Edmonton's Glenora neighbourhood, the restored and repurposed building is currently used by the Alberta provincial government for ceremonial events, conferences, etc. The Royal Alberta Museum is housed in a separate building on the same property, about a four kilometre walk from the Legislature northwest along the banks of the North Saskatchewan River on River Valley Road beside the Victoria Golf Course, itself first developed in 1896 and Canada's oldest city-run golf course.

The property for the house was purchased by the Province of Alberta in 1910, as well as the surrounding area. 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 a royal residence between its completion in 1913 and 1938; the Legislature cited economic concerns, as well as the closing of the Ontario Government House the year previous, as reasons for the closure. However, the closure also came soon after Lieutenant Governor John C. Bowen refused to grant Royal Assent to three controversial bills passed through the Legislative Assembly, and was, along with the removal of his support staff and official car, seen as an act of retaliation by Premier William Aberhart. The building was sold, and the furniture and fixtures were sold.

The building was used a boarding house for American pilots flying supplies up to the Alaska Highway and then was acquired by the federal government as military hospital during the Second World War. After the war the building was used as convalescent home for veterans. The house and grounds were returned to the provincial Crown in 1964. The grounds became the site for the Royal Alberta Museum. The building itself was extensively restored and reopened as conference center for the Alberta government. It has since hosted many important functions, including visits by Queen Elizabeth II and Pope John-Paul II.