Government House (; ) refers to the offices of the

Prime Minister of Thailand The prime minister of Thailand (, , ; literally 'chief minister of state') is the head of government of Thailand. The prime minister is also the chair of the cabinet of Thailand. The post has existed since the Siamese Revolution of 1932, when ...

and appointed cabinet ministers. It contains conference rooms and is used for state functions and receptions of foreign guests. It consists of several palace-like structures extending over .

History

King

Vajiravudh Vajiravudh (1 January 188126 November 1925) was the sixth Monarchy of Thailand, king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama VI. He reigned from 1910 until his death in 1925. King Vajiravudh is best known for his efforts to create and pro ...

(Rama VI) commissioned the Italian architect Annibale Rigotti to design the main building in 1923, although construction would remain incomplete as Rigotti returned to Italy after the king's death in 1925. The house was originally called ''Baan Norasingha'' (). Initially intended as a family residence for one of the king's favorite generals, General Chao Phraya Ram Rakop, the building became the prime minister's office in 1941. Prime Minister

Plaek Phibunsongkhram Plaek Phibunsongkhram; 14 July 1897 – 11 June 1964) was a Thai military officer and politician who served as the third prime minister of Thailand from 1938 to 1944 and again from 1948 to 1957. He rose to power as a leading member of the Kh ...

then assigned Italian sculptor and artist

Corrado Feroci Silpa Bhirasri (; ; ), born Corrado Feroci (15 September 1892 – 14 May 1962), was an Italian-born Thai sculptor. He is considered the father of modern art in Thailand and was instrumental in the founding of today's Silpakorn University. Lif ...

to complete construction (also working on the building at this point was the architect

Ercole Manfredi Ercole Pietro Manfredi (2 July 1883 – 9 June 1973) was an Italian people, Italian architect who lived and worked in early twentieth-century Siam (now Thailand). Born in Turin, Italy, he attended the Accademia Albertina, Albertina Academy of Fi ...

). The main building is crowned with a golden dome housing a statue of

Phra Phrom Phra Phrom (; from Sanskrit: ''Brahmā'', ब्रह्मा) is the Thai representation of the Hindu creator god Brahma. In modern Thailand, Phra Phrom is often worshipped outside of Hindu contexts by regular Buddhists, and, like many other ...

and its façade resembles that of the

Ca' d'Oro The Ca' d'Oro, or Palazzo Santa Sofia, is a palace on the Grand Canal of Venice, Grand Canal in Venice, northern Italy. Ca' d'Oro or Cadoro translates to "House of Gold" or "Golden House" in English because of the Gilding, gilt and polychrome ext ...

Palazzo in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

. During the

2008 Thai political crisis Beginning in 2008, there was worsening conflict between the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and the People's Power Party (PPP) governments of Prime Ministers Samak Sundaravej and Somchai Wongsawat. It was a continuation of the 2005–2 ...

People's Alliance for Democracy The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD; ; commonly known as "Yellow Shirts") was a Thai reactionary, monarchist political movement and pressure group. It was originally a coalition of protesters against Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Prime M ...

(PAD) protesters besieged Government House. After a court order, they had to move, but then attempted to block the government house once more and succeeded. The cabinet temporarily moved to

Don Mueang International Airport Don Mueang International Airport — known as Bangkok International Airport before 2006 — is one of two international airports serving Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, the other being Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK). The airport is considered ...

. The protesters then besieged Don Mueang International Airport soon after that, giving the cabinet no place to work. On 1 December 2008, after protesting for three months, the protesters left Government House as there were constant attacks. Government House was again besieged in December 2013 during the

2013–2014 Thai political crisis The 2013–2014 Thai political crisis was a period of political instability in Thailand. Anti-government protests took place between November 2013 and May 2014, organised by the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), a political pressur ...

Thai-Khu-Fah Building

The Thai-Khu-Fah Building () is an important building on the Government House grounds. The building is home to the

Cabinet of Thailand The cabinet of Thailand (formally, the Council of Ministers of Thailand; ; is a body composed of thirty-five of the most senior members of the government of the Kingdom of Thailand. The Cabinet (government), cabinet is the primary organ of the ...

and the Office of the Prime Minister. The prime minister does not live in this building. The

Phitsanulok Mansion Phitsanulok Mansion () or formerly known Banthomsinth House ( lit: ''House of the Sleeping Narayana'') is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Thailand, located not far to the east from the government house in Dusit, Bangkok. The ma ...

nearby is the official residence of the prime minister. The building has two floors with a neo-

Venetian Gothic architecture Venetian Gothic is the particular form of Italian Gothic architecture typical of Venice, originating in local building requirements, with some influence from Byzantine architecture, and some from Islamic architecture, reflecting Venice's trading ...

combined with

Byzantine art Byzantine art comprises the body of artistic products of the Eastern Roman Empire, as well as the nations and states that inherited culturally from the empire. Though the empire itself emerged from the decline of Rome, decline of western Rome and ...

and one staircase. On the roof there is a small shrine to

. Downstairs are three lounges. The first is the Golden Dome Room () on the south side of the building for the prime minister's guests. The second is the Ivory Room () which is in front of the Golden Dome Room and adjacent to the right, which is a lounge for official visitors of the prime minister. The third is the Purple Room (), which is on the ground floor to the right-hand side of the building. This is a lounge for the visitors of the deputy prime minister and other cabinet ministers. The building has a small conference room called the Green Room () for the Board of Committees, chaired by the prime minister. The upper floor of the building houses the prime minister's office, the offices of political officers, and the old cabinet conference room.

Gallery

File:Government House of Thailand.JPG, The front of Government House of Thailand File:Children's Day at Government House of Thailand by Trisorn Triboon 24.jpg, Thai-Khu-Fah building File:ทำเนียบรัฐบาลลอดรั้วหนาม.jpg, Thai-Khu-Fah building and Santi Maitree building File:APEC2003.jpg,

APEC Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC ) is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economy , economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Following the success of Association of Southeast Asia ...

2003, Government House File:2009 Prince Mahidol Award Recipients.jpg, Prime Minister

Abhisit Vejjajiva Abhisit Vejjajiva (; , , ; born 3 August 1964) is a Thai politician who was the 27th prime minister of Thailand from 2008 to 2011. He was the leader of the Democrat Party from 2005 until he resigned following the party's weak performance in t ...

(right) with guests in the Ivory Room File:นายกรัฐมนตรี และคณะ ณ ตึกไทยคู่ฟ้า ทำเนียบรัฐบาล 28 มกราคม 2553 (The Offici - Flickr - Abhisit Vejjajiva (1).jpg, Entrance, Government House File:Barack Obama at Government House in Bangkok.jpg, US President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

, Government House File:President Obama and Thai Prime Minister Shinawatra Hold a Joint Press Conference (8197040542).jpg, Press Conference Room

References

{{Authority control Government buildings in Bangkok Unregistered ancient monuments in Bangkok Buildings and structures in Bangkok Government buildings completed in 1925 Reportedly haunted locations in Thailand