Government House,

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina () is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 census, Regina had a city populatio ...

, was constructed as a residence for the

lieutenant governor of the North-West Territories This is a list of historical lieutenant-governors of North-West Territories, Canada. The position of Lieutenant-Governor lasted from the acquisition of Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory in 1869 to the creation of Alberta and Saskatc ...

, whose territorial headquarters were in Regina until the provinces of

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

and

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

were created out of the Territories in 1905 and Regina became the capital of Saskatchewan. At that point Government House became the official residence of the

lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan The lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan () is the viceregal representative in Saskatchewan of the , who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada, as well as the other Commonw ...

, which it remained until 1944 when it was vacated until it was returned to official ceremonial use in 1984.

Design and construction

First Government House shortly after construction in 1883

A substantial brick and masonry building, the new Government House replaced the cold, draughty wooden pre-constructed clapboard 1883 Government House which stood on the current site of Luther College High School on Dewdney Avenue and Royal Street, five blocks west, until its demolition in 1908. Mrsdewdneysisterinlaw1883-border

The 1883 predecessor had been assembled shortly after the decision of the North-West Territories Lieutenant-Governor

Edgar Dewdney Edgar Dewdney, (November 5, 1835 – August 8, 1916) was a Canadian surveyor, road builder, Indian commissioner and politician born in Devonshire, England. He emigrated to British Columbia in 1859 in order to act as surveyor for the Dewdney ...

to relocate the capital from

Battleford Battleford ( 2011 population 4,065) is a small town located across the North Saskatchewan River from the City of North Battleford, in Saskatchewan, Canada. Battleford and North Battleford are collectively referred to as "The Battlefords" b ...

. In fact it was widely assumed that the new capital would be Troy (renamed Qu'Appelle) or

Fort Qu'Appelle Fort Qu'Appelle is a town in Canadian province of Saskatchewan located in the Qu'Appelle River valley north-east of Regina, between Echo and Mission Lakes of the Fishing Lakes. It is not to be confused with the once-significant nearby t ...

, but Dewdney had acquired land at Buffalo Bones which he could and did become rich by selling to settlers, and despite it being without trees, even poplar bluffs or bushes, or water apart from the slight spring run-off Wascana Creek, named it the new capital. Indeed, the street on which Government House is located was named after him. The prefabricated building material was from in eastern Canada and transported to the new site. It was a single story wooden structure consisting of two portable houses later developed into a more imposing structure. Additions were made in 1883, after which it had four bedrooms, two dressing rooms, a drawing room, a dining room, a large and small kitchen with pantry and storeroom, a front veranda and porch, and a conservatory. Driveway to Government House (Saskatchewan)

Driveway to Government House (Saskatchewan)

The 1891 Government House, then a remarkably substantial brick and masonry building, was designed by the Dominion architect,

Thomas Fuller Thomas Fuller (baptised 19 June 1608 – 16 August 1661) was an English churchman and historian. He is now remembered for his writings, particularly his ''Worthies of England'', published in 1662, after his death. He was a prolific author, and ...

, together with the Territorial government buildings east on Dewdney Avenue. Fuller had earlier designed the 1866 parliament buildings in Ottawa, which had been designed for the capital of the

Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on th ...

, lasting from 1841 to 1867 and consisting only of Quebec and Ontario. Government House was completed at a cost of $50,000 and was the first residence in the Territories to be electrified (the Regina YMCA had been electrified in 1890). "At its completion..., Government House was by far the most advanced dwelling in the orth-WestTerritories. It boasted running water, which was pumped from a well in the basement to a collection tank situated in the attic, and then fed by gravity throughout the house. Sewage was directed from indoor flush toilets to a brick cesspool in the garden area." The Hon.

Joseph Royal Joseph Royal (7 May 1837 – 23 August 1902) was a Canadian journalist, lawyer, politician, businessman, and Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories. Early life and career Royal studied at St. Mary's Jesuit college in Montreal. Hi ...

, Lieutenant-Governor of the North-West Territories 1888–93, was the first to live and work there. A conservatory was built in 1901 and a ballroom in 1929.

Use as a functioning government house 1891-1944

From its completion in 1891 until the formation of the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan in 1905, Government House was the workplace and residence of Lieutenant-Governors of the North-West Territories, the legislative buildings being east on Dewdney Avenue. Lieutenant-Governors Charles Herbert Mackintosh, Malcolm Colin Cameron and Amédée E. Forget lived and worked in it during this time. In 1901 the

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

and Duchess of York, later

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

and Queen Mary – visited the North-West Territories and were accommodated at Regina's Government House, where they received and met local citizens. 8 royal visit

Government buildings were not built south of Wascana Lake until after the province was established in 1905. The Territory's former government buildings on Dewdney Avenue (but not Government House) then ceased having such use, such reduction in public expenditure being widely deemed to be entirely reasonable during a

second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

immediately following the Great Depression, intensified on the then substantially agricultural

Canadian Prairies The Canadian Prairies (usually referred to as simply the Prairies in Canada) is a region in Western Canada. It includes the Canadian portion of the Great Plains and the Prairie Provinces, namely Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. These provin ...

by the Great Drought. Servants at Government House, 1898

After 1 September 1905, Government House was the residence and work-place of six Lieutenant-Governors of Saskatchewan. In 1944 Premier

Tommy Douglas Thomas Clement Douglas (20 October 1904 – 24 February 1986) was a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as seventh premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961 and Leader of the New Democratic Party from 1961 to 1971. A Baptist min ...

, very soon after his election, followed Ontario in closing the provincial vice-regal palace. During that period Government House accommodated several official guests to the province. These included: April, 1906, when Prince Arthur, the Duke of Connaught, visited Regina; and both October 1912 and July 1916, when the

and Duchess of Connaught and Princess Patricia visited while the Duke was Governor General, the first time for the Duke, son of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

, to inaugurate the

Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, in the na ...

. The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII, visited Saskatchewan in 1919 and again in 1927, though the

Hotel Saskatchewan The Hotel Saskatchewan is a historic hotel, one of Canada's grand railway hotels located in downtown Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, overlooking Victoria Park. The Hotel Saskatchewan was the fourteenth hotel in a nationwide chain constructed and ...

had opened on Victoria Avenue by the time of his second visit.

A Change in Use

Vice-regal palaces were something of an anomaly in the political climate and difficult economic situation of the Great Depression and World War II throughout North America but particularly on the prairies. In March 1944, during his eighth year in office of Lieutenant-Governor "Archie" McNab closed Government House and sold its contents. He established a small office in the

on Victoria Avenue downtown, which the Canadian Pacific Railway opened in 1927. Thereafter, such provincial guests as royal visitors were also accommodated in luxury hotels. The furnishings and household goods were sold at auction and Government House was leased to the federal

Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...

for use as a veterans rehabilitation facility. In 1958, renamed Saskatchewan House, the building entered into 10 years' use as an adult education centre until it was proposed that it be demolished and the site redeveloped. A large part of the extensive grounds had already been sold for the construction of the Pioneer Village nursing home and other uses. From 1967 John Coulter's play "The Trial of

Louis Riel Louis Riel (; ; 22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political leader of the Métis people. He led two resistance movements against the Government of Canada and its first ...

" was performed throughout the summers in the Government House (then "Saskatchewan House") ballroom, arrayed as in photos of the original Supreme Court of the North-West Territories courthouse at the corner of Victoria Avenue and Hamilton Street, Regina, with members of the audience recruited as jurymen. Local lawyer Stephen Arsenych customarily performed the role of Riel. However, the postwar period of supposed modernisation by demolishing old fashioned-seeming buildings such as the old city hall on 11th Avenue, several downtown movie theatres and both Knox United and Trinity Evangelical Lutheran churches. In 1968, Government House was designated a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being ...

and soon came into restoration.

Restoration

A number of historically minded people belonging to local groups including the Regina Chamber of Commerce,

Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire The Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE) is a women's charitable organization based in Canada. It provides scholarships, bursaries, book prizes, and awards, and pursues other philanthropic and educational projects in various communities ac ...

, Regina Council of Women, and the City of Regina were brought together to fight for the preservation of and restoration of the building. In 1971, the Society for the Preservation and Restoration of Saskatchewan House (now the Government House Historical Society) was formed and by 1980 many of its efforts were rewarded. Government House, its original name and historical fittings and many historical contents restored, many such contents having been acquired by departing employees and others when Government House was closed. In 1984, the offices of the Lieutenant-Governor returned to Government House and vice-regal receptions began being held there again, though the Lieutenant-Governors did not resume living in Government House but are housed in accommodation provided by the federal government, reflecting the role of Ottawa in providing vice-regal appointments for the provinces and keeping the entire interior of the building available for public use.

Lieutenant-Governor's New Year's Day Levee and other public receptions

The tradition of the Lieutenant-Governor holding a New Years Day levée in the Government House foyer and ballroom for the public resumed immediately after the Lieutenant-Governor's offices returned with a receiving line where the Vice-regal party greets the public and fruitcake and sherry are served in the ballroom. Government House is extensively decorated in holiday mode throughout, especially in the ballroom and foyer. Guides in period costume (albeit, curiously, in the costume of the 1780s rather than the 1890s, in mobcaps, tricorne hats, and knee breeches) give free tours of Government House. The Government House Historical Society holds a Victorian tea in the ballroom on some weekends during the spring, summer and fall season.

2005 Visitor and Administration Centre

In 2005, a visitor and administration centre and coach house were added, the new wing opened by Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

and named in her honour, while the historic older wing was named the

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

wing. The grounds that remained, after alienation of a substantial proportion of them for the Pioneer Village old peoples' home built in 1967, were restored to their

Edwardian The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...

configuration as a provincial centennial project. Government House is now "a museum of the 1900 period under Lieutenant-Governor Amédée Forget, and a hospitality facility for government and non-profit organizations."

Alleged haunting

Over the years, several staff and former students have observed strange occurrences at Government House. Doors have been said to open and close repeatedly with no one near, the sound of crying babies and laughing children have been heard late at night with no one around, and others have claimed to see eerie faces next to theirs when looking into mirrors. One particular apparition of note is "Howie", believed to be Cheun Lee, the former cook of Lieutenant-Governor Archibald McNab. Many believe that his ghost roams the house; his footsteps often heard shuffling through the halls. He even has a say in the interior decorating—witnesses have inexplicably found objects shifted or moved from one room to another.

Photo gallery

File:Government House (Regina) ground floor hallway on New Year's Day.JPG, Ground floor hallway File:Government House (Regina) dining room on New Year's Day.JPG, Dining room File:Government House (Regina) parlour on New Year's Day.JPG, Parlour File:Government House (Regina) secondary parlour on New Year's Day.JPG, Bedroom File:Government House (Regina) pool room on New Year's Day.JPG, Pool room

Notes

External links

Government House websiteListing on Canadian Registry of Historic Places Government House Historical Society
{{NHSC Houses completed in 1891 Government buildings completed in 1891 Buildings and structures in Regina, Saskatchewan Reportedly haunted locations in Saskatchewan

National Historic Sites in Saskatchewan Veterans' hospitals Schools in Saskatchewan Museums in Regina, Saskatchewan History museums in Saskatchewan