The Chancellery (Joan of What?)

The Chancellery is the and principal workplace of the Chancellor of the Empire of the United Cygnian States, located at 8 William Street in Swanstone. It has been the residence of every Cygnian chancellor since Isaac Isaacs in 1825. The term Chancellery is often used to refer to actions of the chancellor and his advisers, as in "The Chancellery announced that...".

The original building was designed by Irish-born Leonard Hoban and built between 1818 and 1824 of white-painted sandstone in the Neoclassical style. When Isaac Isaacs moved into the house in 1825, he (with architect Arthur Roberts) added low colonnades on each wing that concealed stables and storage. In 1942, the mansion was destroyed by bombing during the Battle of Swanstone in the Australasian War, destroying the west wing and much of the east wing. After the conclusion of the war in 1945, the property was demolished by the post-war Cygnian government and turned into a public park as there weren't enough funds available for a rebuilt Chancellery. Instead, from 1942 to 1994 the Chancellor did not have an official residence, and had an office in Congress Hall.

In 1994, the government began rebuilding the Chancellery, removing the park (which by that time had become known as "Chancellery Park") and commissioning the Ways & Freeman firm to design a new Chancellery. The design went through three versions between 1995 and 1997. Construction began in 1997, and the new Chancellery opened in 2001 after the inauguration of Chancellor Reginald Suhartono.

The new Chancellery occupies 12,000 square metres, and is the largest government headquarters building in the world. By comparison, the new Chancellery is ten times the size of the White House. The Chancellor's and his or her family's official residence is located on the top floor of the building, while the rest of the Chancellery houses the offices of the Chancellor and his staff.