Halifax’s supply of heritage protected houses is one home bigger. The house, at 6215 Coburg Road, across the street from Dalhousie University’s Howe Hall residence, received Registered Heritage Status from Halifax Regional Council last Tuesday.
The status puts guidelines on what can be changed about the property, and also incentivizes restoration with HRM’s renovation matching program. The Heritage Incentives Program provides matching grants of up to $15,000 for residential properties and $25,000 for commercial properties to do external conservation work on the property.
The Coburg Road house was awarded the status through a combination of its age, historical architectural importance, the significance of the architect or builder, the construction type and style, architectural integrity and its relationship to the surrounding area. HRM’s Jesse Morton is the point person on heritage properties, and told council that the property has likely been around since 1889, with the land being bought in 1886 by a dude named Charles Fraser for a mere $350. (Inflation from then to now is 2,743 percent, so Fraser’s $350 would be $9,600 today. But a home nearby on Coburg sold for $637,000 in 2019, a 181,900 percent increase.)
The Victorian-era building lost some points for recent upgrades to the windows that weren't in keeping with historical standards, but overall had enough points to be granted status. With is defining mansard roof–in this situation meaning a flat or low-pitched roof covered in shingles with steep sides leading to the eaves, not the Vampire Weekend song–it’ll keep looking like it’s looking for a while longer.
