Second Government House (Elmsley House)
After the destruction of the Fort York house, the government of the colony purchased a more commodious residence for its Lieutenant Governor. The next Government House was located in a wooded area to the west of the settled portion of the (then) Town of York, roughly midway on the block now occupied by Roy Thomson Hall and Metro Hall in downtown Toronto. Built in 1798, the residence was originally the home of the Chief Justice and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, John Elmsley, and it served as the colony's Government House from 1815 to 1841 (and intermittently from 1841 to 1858, whenever Toronto served as the capital of the Province of Canada). For many years after its purchase by the government, the residence was still known by the name of its former owner, with the correspondence of the Lieutenant-Governor typically dated from "Elmsley House".
The building was destroyed by fire in 1862.
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