Government House (Alberta) 3.27

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.