A look inside the gutted 24 Sussex Drive

A look inside the gutted 24 Sussex Dr. The National Capital Commission has released new photos of the inside of 24 Sussex Dr. CTV's Austin Lee reports.

The National Capital Commission is providing a glimpse inside the gutted 24 Sussex Drive, more than a year after the heritage building along the Ottawa River was closed.

The abatement and decommissioning work on the official residence of the prime minister is scheduled to be completed this summer, while officials continue to decide the future of the property. Photos posted on the NCC's website show the work completed inside 24 Sussex Drive, with the flooring, plaster, and mechanical and electrical systems removed.

In January, NCC CEO Tobi Nussbaum told the NCC's board of directors that abatement and decommissioning work was scheduled to be completed by early February, with temporary mechanical and electrical system work to be finished for the summer.

The $4.3 million project to decommission 24 Sussex Drive includes removing and storing the "heritage fabric, such as doors and mouldings," abatement of asbestos and removal of "obsolete mechanical, heating and electrical systems," according to the NCC.

In November 2022, the NCC began the process of closing 24 Sussex Drive, with work scheduled to remove asbestos and aging infrastructure in the historic building. The NCC said the decision to close 24 Sussex Drive was "a necessary approach to eliminate the identified health and safety concerns."

No one has lived at the prime minister's official residence since Stephen Harper and his family in 2015.  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family opted to live at Rideau Cottage on the grounds of Rideau Hall.

A 2021 report classified the building as in "critical condition."

24 Sussex Drive was built in 1867. The main building includes 34 rooms, as well as another small home at 10 Sussex Drive, a pool house and two RCMP guard houses.

Debate has continued for years on what to do with 24 Sussex Drive. A June 2021 report from the NCC said it would cost $36.6 million to restore the heritage building to "good condition."

The NCC says on its website that options for the future of the prime minister's official residence have been presented to the government and it is "awaiting a government decision."

"The abatement and decommissioning had to be addressed regardless of any decision made about the future of the residence," the NCC said.

The Ottawa Citizen first reported the NCC posted photos online of the work inside 24 Sussex Drive.

With files from CTV National News Parliamentary Bureau Reporter Annie Bergeron-Oliver