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This area of town is about to
change. With the construction of the new NSP headquarters a
block away on Lower Water Street and the proposal for this site,
there will certainly be more activity in the area. According to the HRM Planning
website, the proposal for this site,,,
... is to redevelop the properties into a
single 10-storey mixed use commercial/residential building with
ground floor retail, 84 dwelling units, and underground parking.
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LINKS
For
an excellent article of the history of this building, see Garry
Shutlack's article City Rambles -
The New Victoria Hotel in the
March 2002 edition of The Griffin, available online at the link
below:
http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/heritage.trust/pdf/Griffin/G0203-1.pdf
Check
out this great compilation of pre-demolition images:
http://www.youtube.com/user/syndic3d#p/a/u/1/OLuczvRIq8k
For
photos taken during the demolition:
http://www.youtube.com/user/syndic3d#p/a/u/1/OLuczvRIq8k
For
a video of the move of the Charles Morris house:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuCQXFM5mOo&feature=youtu.be&a
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I would like to thank
Nadine Purdy for allowing me to publish the 12 pictures immediately
below:
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Photo above courtesy of
Nadine Purdy
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Photo above courtesy of
Nadine Purdy
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Photo above courtesy of
Nadine Purdy
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Photo above courtesy of
Nadine Purdy
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Photo above courtesy of
Nadine Purdy
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Photo above courtesy of
Nadine Purdy
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Photo above courtesy of
Nadine Purdy
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Photo above courtesy of
Nadine Purdy
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Photo above courtesy of
Nadine Purdy
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Photo above courtesy of
Nadine Purdy
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Photo above courtesy of
Nadine Purdy
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Photo above courtesy of
Nadine Purdy
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Photo above taken
October 24, 2009
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Photo above taken
October 24, 2009
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Photo above taken
October 24, 2009
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Photo above taken
October 24, 2009
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Photo above taken
October 24, 2009
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Photo above taken
October 24, 2009
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Photo above taken
October 24, 2009
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Photo above taken
October 24, 2009
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Photo above taken
September 12, 2008 |

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Photo above taken
September 12, 2008 |
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From the June 2009 HRM
Council Report:
"The house on the separate
property, 1267 Hollis Street, is known as the Ruhland House and it
is thought to have been constructed around the time of
confederation" |
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Photo above taken
September 12, 2008 |

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Photo above taken
September 12, 2008 |

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Photo above taken
September 12, 2008 |
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A
historical perspective - here we see 1273 Hollis Street in a photo
taken in April 1953 when it was a rooming house ("Harbour
House")
Contributed
by John van Gurp |
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Photo above taken
September 12, 2008 |
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From the June 2009 HRM
Council Report:
"Charles Morris I was one of
Halifax's original settlers and with the arrival of Edward
Cornwallis in 1759 was responsible for the laying out of the
"town of Halifax". That year he was appointed
"Chief Surveyor of the Lands of this Province" and
throughout his life he held prominent judicial positions. The
building housing an office and store owned by him was originally
located at the corner of Hollis and Morris streets. This
building, 1273 Hollis Street, still stands, having been relocated to
the southern part of the property some time around 1897" |
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Great News for heritage
preservation: This building was spared from the wrecking ball.
On December 21st, the house was moved to a temporary location.
For more information and a video of the move, please check out the
links below:
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuCQXFM5mOo&feature=youtu.be&a
HRM Press Release:
http://www.halifax.ca/mediaroom/pressrelease/pr2009/091221CharlesMorrisOfficeBuilding.html
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Photo above taken
September 12, 2008 |
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From the June 2009 HRM
Council Report:
"Charles Morris III, also a surveyor, constructed a
building in 1820 facing Morris Street, civic no. 5142, which was
later substantially modified and incorporated into the abutting
Victoria Apartment building.
The Victoria Apartment building, 5144 Morris Street and
1275 through 1285 Hollis Street, was originally built as a hotel in
1897 and as noted above was joined to the Charles Morris III
building. It is architecturally notable from a heritage
perspective for its verandah, which is a rare feature in downtown
Halifax." |
*The
Hotel referred to above was the Victoria Hotel*
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Photo above taken
September 12, 2008 |

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Photo above taken
September 12, 2008 |

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Photo
above taken September 12, 2008
Former
civic number (18) still visible above door
If
anyone knows the purpose of the red light on the upper right hand
side of the entrance, email me (webmaster@halifaxhistory.ca)
Update: Many
people have written to say the light is a relic from the building's
days as a reputed brothel. If you have any details, anecdotes, etc.
please email me.
Update2: Mike
H. wrote to advise that the red light was in fact "put in at the insistence of the Halifax Fire Department as a part of the an electrical upgrade sometime in the late
70's." Mike, whose parents were caretakers of the
building from the 50's through to the 70's, recalls shoveling coal into the furnaces
in his early years there:
"The furnaces were converted to oil around 1957 I believe. The coal was delivered in truck loads then and put into bins located on the east side of the building. Much of the soil in the back yards in that area is old coal dust from both the power plant and the building itself." |
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Photo
above taken September 12, 2008
Former
civic number (19 ½) still visible on transom |

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Photo above taken
September 12, 2008 |
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