State House (formerly Government House) located in Georgetown, is the

official residence An official residence is the House, residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, Clergy, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-relate ...

of the

president of Guyana The president of Guyana is the head of state and the head of government of Guyana, as well as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Republic, according to the Constitution of Guyana. The president is also the chancellor of the Or ...

. It was previously the official residence of the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, which resides on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first European to encounter Guiana was S ...

before the colony gained independence and became

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

. The original structure was built in 1823 on a small piece of land belonging to the first Anglican Bishop to British Guiana,

William Piercy Austin Lord William Piercy Austin (7 November 18079 November 1892) was the inaugural and long serving Bishop of Guyana from 1842 until his death. Life He was the son of William Austin (1759–1817), co-owner of the Land of Plenty plantation in Britis ...

. It was then purchased by the British government in 1853, and described as "a two-storey timber structure with a double stairway facing Carmichael Street, which stood on two-metre (eight feet)-high brick pillars". Additional improvements were made to the building in the early 20th century, and the entrance was relocated to Main Street It was the residence of the Governor General and in 1970, the country's first president,

Arthur Chung Arthur Raymond Chung (10 January 1918 – 23 June 2008) was the 1st President of Guyana from 1970 to 1980.

, resided there. Former presidents

Forbes Burnham Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham (20 February 1923 – 6 August 1985) was a Guyanese politician and the leader of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana from 1964 until his death in 1985. He served as Prime Minister from 1964 to 1980 and then as its f ...

and

Hugh Desmond Hoyte Hugh Desmond Hoyte (9 March 1929 – 22 December 2002) was a Guyanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Guyana from 1984 to 1985 and President of Guyana from 1985 until 1992. Personal Life and Education Hoyte was born on 9 March 192 ...

resided instead in Castellani House, which now houses the Guyana National Art Gallery. In 1992, Dr.

Cheddi Jagan Cheddi Berret Jagan (22 March 1918 – 6 March 1997) was a Guyanese politician and dentist who was first elected Chief Minister in 1953 and later Premier of British Guiana from 1961 to 1964. He later served as President of Guyana from 199 ...

, after being elected president, moved into State House and since then it has served as the official residence of the President of Guyana. This building is a collection of additions, but there are a few distinctive characteristics such as the

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

six-paned windows and the Demerara windows. To its east is

Promenade Gardens Promenade Gardens is a garden in Georgetown, Guyana. To the south is (Parade Ground), the site of public execution of slaves who participated in the uprising of 1823. The park is separated from the gardens by Middle Street. The park is boun ...

(across Carmichael Street). The building has been designated as one of Guyana's 9 national monuments. A repainting of the State House in 2015 became highly politicized as the residing president,

David A. Granger David Arthur Granger (born 15 July 1945) is a retired military officer who served as the 9th President of Guyana from May 2015 to August 2020. He served for a time as Commander of the Guyana Defence Force and subsequently as National Security A ...

, changed the color from white to green. The decision was seen as infringing on the authority of the National Trust of Guyana, which was founded in 1972 to preserve places of historical interest.

References

{{Buildings in Guyana British Guiana Government buildings completed in 1853 Government Houses of the British Empire and Commonwealth National Monuments in Guyana Official residences in Guyana Presidential residences

See also

References