Queen's House, Colombo
| President's House ජනාධිපති මන්දිරය |
|
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Address | Janadhipathi Mawatha, Colombo 01 |
| Town or city | Colombo |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Current tenants | Maithripala Sirisena |
| Client | Government of Sri Lanka |
| Owner | Current President of Sri Lanka |
President's House is the official residence and workplace of the President of Sri Lanka, located at Janadhipathi Mawatha, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Since 1804 it has been the residence of British governors and governors-general and Sri Lankan presidents, having been known as the "King's House" or the "Queen's House" until Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972.
There have been 29 governors who resided here, and also six presidents who resided or used it in an official capacity. Currently it is used by Maithripala Sirisena, the President of Sri Lanka for state functions. The Presidential Secretariat functions as the office of the president, with much of the presidential staff based there.
The last Dutch governor, Johan van Angelbeek, built a two-storied residence on the site of the demolished St Francis's Church, which had been built by the Portuguese in the 16th century.
It was sold to the British colonial administration by Angelbeek's granddaughter on January 17, 1804 for £10,000, to set off deficits incurred by her husband George Melvin Leslie, the revenue officer British Governor Fedrick North.
After the British took over the house, it became the official residence of the Governor of Ceylon known as Government House but most commonly referred to as the King's House or the Queen's House depending on the monarch of the time.
Since independence in 1948 the house became the official residence of the Governor General of Ceylon. It was formally renamed as the President’s House in 1972 after Sri Lanka became a republic. William Gopallawa was the last governor general and first President of Sri Lanka to reside at the house.
In the 1980s and 1990s the house underwent refurbishments under the directrion of one of Sri Lanka's foremost architects Geoffrey Bawa.
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Wikipedia