Executive Mansion (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]
Executive Mansion | |
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Executive Mansion in 2009. | |
Location within Liberia | |
General information | |
Status | Not in use |
Type | Presidential palace |
Location | Capitol Hill district |
Town or city | Monrovia |
Country | Liberia |
Coordinates | 6.3003°N 10.7983°W |
Construction started | 1961 |
Completed | 1964 |
Renovated | Ongoing |
Destroyed | 26 July 2006 |
Client | William Tubman |
Owner | Government of Liberia |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 8 |
Known for | Official residence of the President of Liberia |
The Executive Mansion was the scene of murder of Tubman's successor, President William Tolbert (in office 1971–1980), during the 1980 coup d'état.[5]
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]
The Executive Mansion was destroyed by fire on 26 July 2006, during the 159th anniversary celebration of the adoption of the Liberian Declaration of Independence. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (in office 2006–2018) was at the time feting foreign guests and dignitaries in the gardens of the Executive Mansion. As of 2018, the renovation process is still ongoing.[3]
Gallery
- Residence of Joseph Jenkins Roberts, first President of Liberia, between 1848 and 1852.
- Old Executive Mansion, between 1910 and 1920.
See also
References
- Johnston, Sir Harry Hamilton; Otto Stapf (1906). Liberia. 1. Dodd, Mead & Company. p. 222.
- Massaquoi, Hans J. (October 1971). "Liberia: End of the Tubman Era". Ebony: 48.
- Alwin Worzi (18 January 2018). "Executive Mansion Not Prepared for Weah". Daily Observer. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
- "Monrovia". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
- "LIBERIA: After the Takeover, Revenge". TIME Magazine. 1980-04-18. Archived from the original on September 28, 2008.