Rideau Hall is the official residence and workplace of every governor general since 1867. This heritage site is a national gathering place, where the governor general lives, honours Canadians for their excellence, hosts foreign dignitaries and performs the functions of Canada’s Head of State, as the representative of the Crown in Canada.
Rideau Hall is the largest official residence in Canada’s Capital Region and the only one open to the public. The residence houses rooms for State functions, offices and other work spaces, including kitchens, and a greenhouse run by the National Capital Commission (NCC) where plants and flowers are grown for use in all six official residences.
Heads of State and royalty stay at Rideau Hall during visits to Ottawa. Most recently, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II stayed at Rideau Hall during the 2010 Royal Tour of Canada.
As a working residence, Rideau Hall serves many official functions. Almost every prime minister and cabinet has been sworn in at Rideau Hall since Sir John A. Macdonald in 1867. Canadians from across the country are honoured with various awards celebrating excellence and achievement.
Thomas MacKay built the original stone villa in 1838, as a home for his family, which now forms the main part of the official residence. MacKay was a stonemason and contractor who built the entrance locks of the Rideau Canal and the mills at Rideau Falls, the landmark after which Rideau Hall was named. It has been home to every governor general since Confederation. Period photographs show it as a rectangular, three-storey stone villa, with a semi-circular facade onto the garden.
In 1865, the house was leased to the Canadian government as a residence for The Viscount Monck, 21st Governor General of British North America, who became Canada's first governor general. Bytown had been renamed Ottawa and was chosen by Queen Victoria to become the new capital of the province of Canada. That same year, Lord Monck added a long, two-storey wing that was meant to resemble his beloved Québec City residence, Spencer Wood (which was renamed Bois-de-Coulonge in 1950). Lord Monck also laid out the handsome path that leads to front of the house.
In 1868, the year after Confederation, the Government of Canada purchased the house and grounds for $82,000, and declared it an official residence for Canada's governors general.
In the time of Canada's third governor general, Lord Dufferin (1872-1878), the Ballroom and the Tent Room were built as wings on either side of the front entrance. The Tent Room was originally designed as both an indoor tennis court and reception room. It is now used for official and ceremonial functions.
The Minto Wing was added in 1899 to supply more living space. The governor general's study, with its window overlooking the gardens, was built in 1906, during the mandate of Earl Grey (1904-1911).
Many changes were made during the tenure of the Duke of Connaught (1911-1916). In 1913, work was completed on the interior entrance hall and the present front entrance. The massive motif of the Royal Arms, visible from the driveway, is said to be one of the largest in the world. Also in 1913, the Long Gallery was added and the Dining Room was enlarged. Concerned about the lack of sunlight in the residence, the Duke had many of the fir trees on the grounds replaced with maples and other species.
Over the years, various changes have been made to the stately old building to meet the demands of modern times, including media and security requirements. The grounds, the building and its interiors have also evolved to better reflect and reinforce Rideau Hall's identity as Canada's national home. Over the years, an increasing emphasis on showcasing fine Canadian art, furniture, food and wine have contributed to a truly Canadian environment, where Canadians are honoured, dignitaries are welcomed and affairs of State are conducted.
The Crown Collection is showcased throughout the residence at Rideau Hall; highlights are presented during the Residence Tour and the Art Tour.
The Crown Collection
Since Lord Monck first moved into Rideau Hall, the government has acquired furniture and works of art for the official residence, changing the decorations and furnishings throughout the years. Today, the works of art and furniture at Rideau Hall are part of the Crown Collection, which enrich our national heritage. The collection is comprised of contemporary and antique works of art, traditional Canadian furniture, and pieces coming from Europe, the Far East and other regions around the world.
The Crown Collection is managed and curated by the National Capital Commission (NCC). It also encompasses the art and furniture of the other six official residences in Canada’s Capital Region.
New acquisitions are carefully selected and special care is given to their provenance. Representing each province and territory is particularly important in the case of Rideau Hall, which acts as a window on Canadian culture. The art and furniture at Rideau Hall were chosen on the basis of their history, significance, origin or connection to a governor general, in order to enhance the value of the heritage site.
The Canadiana Fund
The majority of new acquisitions come from donations made to the Canadiana Fund. The Canadiana Fund was established in 1990 to enhance the State areas of Canada’s official residences, through donations of the finest examples of historical furnishings, paintings and objects d’art. The chosen pieces reflect Canada’s heritage and artistic traditions, or are historically associated with, or complement, the architectural style of each residence.
Other Collections Represented at Rideau Hall
To broaden the range of works displayed at Rideau Hall, the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General obtains pieces on loan from various museums and other cultural institutions from across Canada. The tradition of borrowing works of art began in the 1930s; as early as the time of Lord Bessborough, the National Gallery of Canada has loaned several paintings to Rideau Hall. Today, around 100 works on display are on loan from various sources.
The temporary exhibition is included in the Residence Tour and the Art Tour.
Current Exhibition
DIASPORArt
Strategy and seduction by Canadian artists from culturally diverse communities in works from the collection of the Canada Council Art Bank
This exhibition, presented by the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General, in association with the Canada Council Art Bank, will be on display at Rideau Hall from September 21, 2009, to September 6, 2010. Come and discover these telling works of art.
Canada is a host country to many artists who have migrated from their ethnic homelands. Autobiographical commentary is one of the strategies they frequently use to communicate a sense of self in an environment of contrasts. The works of the DIASPORArt exhibit are of a particular beauty that seduces by its charm and technique.
Whether of the African, Asian, Middle Eastern or Latin American diaspora, the artists whose works have been chosen from the Canada Council Art Bank collection are not only sharing their sense of self, they are challenging the status quo of Western popular culture and thought as the pre-eminent international cultural force.
Other links:
Past Exhibitions
- Spirit of Place: BC Young Artists (2009)
- Trace Elements: Selections from The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery (2008)
- Reunion: Nova Scotian Military Families Reflect (2007)
- Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal at Rideau Hall (2007)
- Body & Land (2006)
- Dialogues: the Changing Face of Contemporary Canadian Art (2006)
- Saskatchewan Artists (2005)
- The McMichael Canadian Art Collection at Rideau Hall (2005)
- Kenojuak: Owls Awakening (2004)
- Alfred Pellan (1906-1988) (2003)
- Culture and Democracy: Lord and Lady Elgin in Canada, 1847-1854 (2003)
- The Canadian Governors General: Reflecting Canada for 50 Years (2002)