Major changes coming to 24 Sussex Dr., famed architect Moshe Safdie says

Major changes coming to 24 Sussex Dr., famed architect Moshe Safdie says IAN BAILEY OTTAWA PUBLISHED 17 HOURS AGO UPDATED 4 HOURS AGO Open this photo in gallery: Acclaimed architect Moshe Safdie listens as Prime Minister Mark Carney announces a plan to restore 24 Sussex Drive, June 26. PATRICK DOYLE/REUTERS COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. The acclaimed Canadian architect who will lead the jury that decides the future of 24 Sussex Dr. says significant change is coming for the official prime ministerial residence, which has sat vacant for 11 years because of its dilapidated condition. Moshe Safdie, who has designed buildings ranging from the National Gallery in Ottawa to Terminal One at Pearson International Airport over his long career, said in an interview Tuesday that he envisions greatly expanded usefulness for the building that has been home to nine Canadian prime ministers, from Louis St. Laurent to Stephen Harper, since 1951. Mr. Harper is the most recent prime minister to have lived in the home, which had fallen into such disrepair that Justin Trudeau declined to move in with his family in 2015. Instead, the Trudeaus lived in Rideau Cottage on the grounds of Rideau Hall, and Prime Minister Mark Carney has followed suit. Speaking to The Globe and Mail over video chat, Mr. Safdie, 88, was asked to what degree the home, built between 1866 and 1868 as a private residence and later procured by the government for prime ministers’ use, could remain as it is. “Even if you decided to reproduce the building in whole, you would be doing things to the site that will change it from just being what Sussex was in the past,” Mr. Safdie said. “Change is coming and I think change is inevitable,” he continued. “This building, one hopes, is there for a long, long time, and needs to accommodate more than what Sussex had in the past.” 1/15 Pieces are stored in the dining room during a tour of the official residence of the Prime Minister of Canada, 24 Sussex. ADRIAN WYLD/THE CANADIAN PRESS At the very least, Mr. Safdie said there is a need for a separate building on the site to accommodate social events held by the prime minister. He said the goal is “not a restoration of a historic building per se,” but rather, finding a way for the site to serve multiple purposes, including housing prime ministers and their families, providing ceremonial spaces and…