Executive Mansion, Monrovia
| Executive Mansion | |
|---|---|
 Executive Mansion in 2009. | |
  Location within Liberia | |
General information | |
| Status | In use |
| Type | Presidential palace |
| Location | Capitol Hill district, Monrovia, Liberia |
| Coordinates | 6°18′01″N 10°47′54″W / 6.3003°N 10.7983°W |
| Current tenants | President Joseph Boakai |
Construction started | 1961 |
Completed | 1964 |
| Client | William Tubman |
| Owner | Government of Liberia |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 8 |
| Design and construction | |
| Known for | Official residence of the president of Liberia |
The Executive Mansion of Liberia is the official residence and workplace of the country's president.[1][2] Located across the street from the Capitol Building in the Capitol Hill district of Monrovia, the current building was constructed during the presidency of William Tubman, which lasted from 1944 to 1971.[2] The construction started in 1961, and was completed in 1964.[3][4]
Construction and design
The current Executive Mansion was constructed during the presidency of William Tubman between 1960 and 1963 and officially dedicated on 3 January 1964.[5]
The project was designed and supervised by the Department of Public Works in collaboration with the Stanley Engineering Company of Africa, while construction was carried out by the Liberian Construction Corporation (LCC).[5]
According to reporting on the building’s construction, the project received financial support from the Israeli government.[6]
1980 coup d'état
The Executive Mansion was the site of the assassination of President William Tolbert (in office 1971–1980) during the 1980 coup d'état.[7]
According to public hearings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), blood ritual and other sacrifices were performed at the Executive Mansion during the presidency of Samuel Doe, which lasted from 1980 to 1990. They were meant to render the president as well as the Executive Mansion impregnable. Hundreds of people, especially men, are also said to have been killed on the grounds of the Executive Mansion in the wake of the failed coup attempt by Thomas Quiwonkpa in 1985.[3]
2006 fire and reconstruction
The Executive Mansion was destroyed by fire on July 26, 2006, during celebrations marking the 159th anniversary of the adoption of the Liberian Declaration of Independence. At the time, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (in office 2006–2018) was hosting foreign guests and dignitaries on the grounds of the mansion.[8]
Following years of reconstruction and renovation, the Executive Mansion was officially reopened on February 14, 2022.[9]
Gallery
_Residence_of_Joseph_Roberts%252C_President_of_the_Republic_of_Liberia.jpg)
Residence of Joseph Jenkins Roberts, first president of Liberia, between 1848 and 1852._Monrovia%252C_President's_Mansion.jpg)
Old Executive Mansion, between 1910 and 1920.
See also
References
- ↑ Johnston, Sir Harry Hamilton; Otto Stapf (1906). Liberia. Vol. 1. Dodd, Mead & Company. p. 222.
- 1 2 Massaquoi, Hans J. (October 1971). "Liberia: End of the Tubman Era". Ebony: 48.
- 1 2 Alwin Worzi (January 18, 2018). "Executive Mansion Not Prepared for Weah". Daily Observer. Archived from the original on February 28, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ↑ "Monrovia". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
- 1 2 "Liberia's Audit Commission Discovers Over US$10M Waste on Executive Mansion Renovation". FrontPage Africa. December 8, 2016.
- ↑ "Three Years to Build, Nearly 15 Years Under Renovation: Liberia's Executive Mansion Now a Milking Cow?". FrontPage Africa. September 15, 2020.
- ↑ "Liberia: After the Takeover, Revenge". Time. April 18, 1980. Archived from the original on September 28, 2008.
- ↑ Clayeh, J. H. Webster (May 4, 2021). "Liberia: Executive Mansion Wall Falls". FrontPage Africa.
- ↑ "Liberia: President Weah to Move in the Executive Mansion on February 14". FrontPage Africa. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
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