Government House is the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick, as well as that in Fredericton of the Canadian monarch. It stands on a 4.5 ha (11 acre) estate along the Saint John River in the provincial capital at 51 Woodstock Road; while the equivalent building in many countries has a prominent, central place in the territorial capital, the site of New Brunswick's Government House is relatively unobtrusive within Fredericton, giving it more the character of a private home. History Intended to replace the residence of the colonial Lieutenant Governors of New Brunswick that burned down in 1825, Government House was erected between 1826 and 1828 on the site of the former Acadian settlement of Sainte-Anne, and served as meeting place for the viceroy and his Executive Council, balls, and state dinners. In 1890, however, Lieutenant Governor Samuel Leonard Tilley felt the maintenance budget for the house was insufficient and consequently relocated, after which the former viceregal residence took on other roles. From 1896 to 1900, it served as New Brunswick's Institute for the Deaf and Dumb, was a military barracks through World War I, a soldiers' hospital following the war, and, from 1934 to 1988, was the J Division regional headquarters of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. In 1958, it was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada, and in 1996 it was designated provincially under the Historic Sites Protection Act. Only on 1 July 1999, after two years of extensive renovation and restoration of the structure and its interiors, was the mansion returned to viceregal service in a ceremony including representatives of the Maliseet First Nation, the ancestors of which performed dances on New Year's Day 164 years earlier, both times to demonstrate the importance of the relationship between them and the Crown. Use Government House is where the Canadian Royal Family and visiting foreign dignitaries are greeted and often stay while in Fredericton. It is also where numerous royal and viceroyal events take place, such as the bestowing of provincial awards or inductions into the Order of New Brunswick, as well as luncheons, dinners, receptions, and speaking engagements. It is also at the royal residence that the lieutenant governor will drop the writs of election, swear-in new members of the Executive Council, and hold audience with his premier. The property is owned by the Queen in Right of New Brunswick and, as mandated