House 1270 Church Street (40 Church St. before number conversion)

The first 3 photos below were provided by Steve Smith, who's grandfather built the house sometime before the Halifax Explosion.  In the 1920's the Westminster Apartments were built on the lot north of the house.  A magnificent house, Steve Smith describes it:   "The house was marvelous on the inside with a huge oak staircase, art glass windows, four fireplaces and a back stairway for the servants.  There were buttons in many rooms that would activate a callbox in the kitchen and a number in the box would vibrate so the maid would know which room to go to."   The first two photos were taken circa 1914.  The third photo, taken by Gary Wilson, was taken in the 1970's, when the house was being demolished during the construction of the apartment building to the south of the house.   I visited the site on Church Street on March 18, 2007 and took the last 2 photos.  As you can see, the site is basically an alleyway/driveway  now.  My thanks to Steve Smith for helping to preserve the visual history of this elegant home.   Photo above taken March 18, 2007 Photo above taken March 18, 2007