Lornado, Official residence in Rockcliffe Park, Ottawa, Canada
Lornado is a limestone mansion with two and a half stories and 32 rooms set on extensive grounds in the Rockcliffe Park neighborhood. The house sits on roughly 10 acres and displays classical architecture with formal outdoor spaces.
Warren Y. Soper, an industrialist and founder of the Ottawa Electric Railway Company, built this house in 1908 and named it after the novel Lorna Doone. In 1935, the United States government acquired the property to serve as the official residence of the American ambassador.
This residence serves as the official seat of the United States Ambassador and shapes the neighborhood as a significant diplomatic presence. Visitors can sense its formal importance through the careful grounds and security measures that frame the property.
Access is restricted since the grounds are guarded by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the property can only be viewed from outside. The formal security presence is an important part of understanding this private location.
The grounds include landscaped gardens with decorative shelters that reference the historic streetcar line once operated by the original owner. These details connect the property's past as a private mansion to its current diplomatic purpose.
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