Government House, Rangoon

Government House, Rangoon
Government House, Rangoon in 1895
Map
General information
Architectural styleQueen Anne style
Coordinates16°47′42″N 96°08′14″E / 16.795094°N 96.137114°E / 16.795094; 96.137114
Construction started1892
Completed1895
Demolished1985
Design and construction
Architect(s)Hoyne Fox

Government House, Rangoon (Burmese: ဘုရင်ခံအိမ်တော်) was the official residence (Government House) of the colonial governors of Burma.

The building complex, located in north Rangoon, west of Shwedagon Pagoda at the corner of Prome and Ahlone Roads, was designed by British architect Hoyne Fox and built in between 1892 and 1895, at a cost of 717,000 rupees on a plot of 90 acres (36 ha).[1][2][3] The building was built in the Queen Anne Revival style.[3]

The formal handover of power from colonial authorities to the newly formed government of Burma was commemorated at the lawn of the Government House on 4 January 1948.[4] In the following years, it served as the de facto residence for Burmese presidents, including Sao Shwe Thaik, Ba Oo, and Mahn Win Maung.[4]

The building was demolished in 1985 on the orders of Ne Win following earthquake damage in the 1970s.[1][5][6] A complex housing the national level People's Assembly was built on the former site of the Government House; it is now home to the Yangon Region Hluttaw.[4]

  1. ^ a b Thant Myint-U (2011). The River of Lost Footsteps. Faber & Faber. ISBN 9780571266067.
  2. ^ "Chief Commissioner's House, Rangoon". Online Gallery. The British Library. 26 March 2009. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Government House, Rangoon". The British Library. 26 March 2009. Archived from the original on 24 July 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  4. ^ a b c "Places in History | Myanmar's Bygone Rangoon Government House". The Irrawaddy. 2020-03-19. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  5. ^ Thant Myint-U (2 December 2011). "Forgotten treasures". Financial Times. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  6. ^ "Conserving Old Rangoon". Asian Art. 26 September 2012. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2013.