Dexel Developments owner Louis Lawen has offered a respite for at
least one of the three historic buildings at the corner of Hollis and
Morris streets. The buildings are slated for demolition. Lawen says
he’s offered to contribute the value of the demolition of the buildings
(about $30,000) to moving the buildings—if the Nova Scotia Heritage
Trust can find “a home for the homes.”
Lawen made the offer a few weeks ago after being approached by Phil
Pacey of the Nova Scotia Heritage Trust.
“We’d like to take that whole cluster of buildings,” says Peter
Delefes, president of Heritage Trust. He says the buildings can’t be
moved very far, and that most of the land nearby is owned by Nova
Scotia Power. “We’re trying to deal with [NSP], and see if they’d be
willing to provide any space.
Lawen says the distinctive Victorian Hotel on the corner and, next
door, the home of Charles Morris, who designed the layout of Halifax
and several other Nova Scotia cities, are probably in no condition to
be moved. But Morris’s offices on Morris Street, housed in a building
separate from the hotel and home, could be moved again—they were
originally moved in the early 1900s to make room for the construction
of the hotel.
Last Friday, November 6, was the unofficial deadline, but Lawen says
that delays in having power lines moved underground near the hotel
building are postponing construction, and therefore demolition of the
buildings. As well, he says Dexel is still waiting for construction
drawings and hasn’t hired a contractor. He estimates that cranes will
be up by February and that work on the power lines could happen as soon
as three weeks. But he’s willing to work with the Heritage Trust if an
opportunity is presented. “If they said ‘Look, we’ve found a home, but
we need some time to move it,’ I wouldn’t tell him ‘Sorry, you’re out
of time.’
This article appears in Nov 12-18, 2009.
It’s a big, grey box, too bland to be even an eyesore, and is architecturally uninteresting. Just because a city functionary apparently lived there does not give it any actual historical value. It’ll be no loss to the neighborhood.
Dear Heritage Peoples,
I like the pretty buildings. Please find them a nice home. Thanks a bunch.
Yours truly,
me0w
The building at Hollis and Morris,
is more than a ‘pretty’ building,
and its more than an emblem for historians:
this building, and its’ eminent destruction/move
speaks to Halifax’s development priorities:
the Heritage trust is often quick, and stubborn about
holding on to such structures. In this case however,
for a building that was ‘home’ for Halifax’s lower class for decades,
has been sold without a word.
Architecturally, it stands clad with wrap-around-porches
facing Hollis and Morris street – silently demonstrating
that its residents are/were engaged with
what was happening on the street below.
The proposed building that will soon inhabit the
site, is an under-achieved, bland structure,
set to accommodate 80 units
whose only aim is to increase density – not
to engage neighborhood history or values.
The discussion of whether or not this structure can be moved,
let alone saved,
must also recognize the transition that
it represents about Halifax’s neighborhoods,
and the
the priorities of its’ developers.
Thank-you, Dexel!
Need many times the $30,000 offered by Dexel to move any of the 3 buildings.
@ alpal – The questionable neighborhood values added by having an old rundown shack on a corner are far outweighed by a large density residential structure. The only way that we will see any sort of value in this community is if there are actually residents living there, and keeping rundown, nearly uninhabitable structures around will just lead to a smaller and smaller South End population.
@ no u – are you kidding me? “Questionable neighborhood values” in the South End? Last I checked, property in the South End is some of the most expensive and sought after, which is exactly why this building is in jeopardy. Have you ever been inside this building to declare it “nearly uninhabitable”? I’m sure the people who live there would be delighted to know they’re not considered “actual residents”. Unless the downtown core shifts and the universities shut down, the South End is in no danger of a population decline. I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to come up with some better arguments for demolishing the city’s historic buildings than you’ve provided so far.