GOVERNMENT HOUSE

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Title	GOVERNMENT HOUSE
View	Front elevation, guards on duty
Notes	government, dwelling
Work Type	government office official residence
Style/Period	Georgian Palladian
Major Design Aspects	H plan refined elegance
Elements & Spatial Types	forecourt rusticated base
Climate Type	cold temperate
Country	Canada
City	Halifax
State/Province	Nova Scotia
Architectural Material	stone
Structural System	bearing masonry
Dates	1800
Century	19C
Photographer	Scott Gilchrist, Archivision
Subject Information	This the most outstanding Georgian mansion in downtown Halifax ... By the time the cornerstone was laid for Government House in 1800, the British had been in command of the region on and off for 150 years and Halifax had been the colony's capital for almost half a century. The man responsible for building the house was Governor Sir John Wentworth, formerly governor of New Hampshire. He came to Halifax during the American Revolutionary War (1775-83) with his wife, Frances Wentworth. Joining with other powerful New Englanders who were loyal to the Crown, the Wentworths brought a new political and social milieu to Nova Scotia. The design of the mansion is rooted in classical traditions that were popular in England during the eighteenth century. It is assumed that the source of the designs for the front and rear elevations of the house come from a book of house plans published in 1795 by George Richardson, who worked in the London office of the famous Scottish architect, Robert Adam. The major exterior features, such as the rusticated basement, the closed arches over the windows, and ashlar masonry in the upper storey, supported on the garden front with pilasters, are all found in Richardson's designs, as are the curved bays and the small-scale classic detail in the cornices. A feature of the interior design is the provision of state rooms, appropriate settings for the many official and social duties of the Lieutenant Governor. There is a suite of rooms on the second floor providing private quarters for the Lieutenant-Governor and family. The main building materials used in the construction of Government House come from Nova Scotia: they include freestone from Pictou, Antigonish and Cape Breton, building stone from Lunenburg and Lockeport, red flagstone from Antigonish, blue rubble stone from Bedford Basin, and flat stone from the North West Arm. Pine was brought from the Annapolis Valley and from Tatamagouche. Imported materials include mahogany and marble. Source: lt.gov.ns.ca/inner/frames/government/content/history.html
Credit Line	Archivision Inc. (all images copyright Scott Gilchrist / Archivision.com)
Collection Title	Archivision (architecture, urban design, gardens, landscapes and public art)
Collection information	Collection administered by the Visual Resources manager, Architecture Library, (402) 472-1193

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GOVERNMENT HOUSE

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