Government House is the official residence of the President of Fiji

President of Fiji

The President of the Republic of Fiji is the head of state of Fiji. The President was appointed by the Great Council of Chiefs for a five-year term under the terms of the now-suspended 1997 constitution. The Great Council of Chiefs is constitutionally required to consult the Prime Minister, but...

. The present mansion was built in 1928 to replace the original building - the residence of the colonial governor

Governor of Fiji

Fiji was a British Crown Colony from 1874 to 1970, and an independent dominion in the British Commonwealth from 1970 to 1987. During this period, the Head of State was the British Monarch, but in practice his or her functions were normally exercised locally by the Governor prior to independence ,...

 - which burnt to the ground after being struck by lightning in 1921. From 1970 to 1987, Government House was the official residence of the Governor-General

Governor-General of Fiji

Fiji became a British Crown Colony in 1874, and an independent dominion in the Commonwealth in 1970. Queen Elizabeth II remained the Head of State, holding the title of Queen of Fiji until 1987, when she formally abdicated following two military coups...

, and became the presidential residence in 1987 after two military coups

Fiji coups of 1987

The Fiji coups of 1987 resulted in the overthrow of the elected government of Fijian Prime Minister Timoci Bavadra, the deposition of Elizabeth II as Queen of Fiji, and in the declaration of a republic...

 resulted in the proclamation of a republic

Republic

A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...

.

The building is closed to the public, but a highlight of tourist visits to Suva

Suva

Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...

 is the changing of the guard ceremony during the first week of each month.

The building should not be confused with the Government Buildings

Government Buildings, Suva

The Government Buildings in Suva are the offices of the executive wing of Government of Fiji. Built in the late 1930s, the buildings house the Prime Minister of Fiji's offices, the High Court, and government ministries...

 to the north on the same street (Victoria Parade).