Halifax: Then and Now

Bayers Road at Joseph Howe Dr.

This corner certainly has seen a lot of change over the years. Note the trolley lines overhead and a house next to a gas station on the left, both gone now. The old picture is undated, but it predates the construction of St. John's Anglican church on the corner (to the right in the photo) in 1959-60, also now demolished and replaced by Shoppers Drug Mart. The apartment building near the centre of the photograph is one constant feature.
THEN:	NOW:

(click picture for full-size image) Bayers @ Joseph Howe undated Photo from HRM Archives 102-39-1-15.1 Used with Permission	(click picture for full-size image) Photo above taken October 26, 2009

Agricola St. Near North Street
This is certainly a very recognizable corner in the city. Now home to Gus' Pub & Grill (2605 Agricola Street), when the original picture was taken the corner was home to Spic & Span Cleaners (143 Agricola Street - prior to street number conversion). The 1962 City Directory also shows a snack bar (Corner Snack Bar) at the location at 139 Agricola.

THEN: 1950's	NOW: October 18, 2009

*Photo above courtesy of John van Gurp*

*Photo above courtesy of John van Gurp*

THEN:

May 1973

(click picture for full-size image)

Holiday Inn Building

Robie @ Quinpool

May 1973

Photo from HRM Archives 102-39-1-266.1

Used with Permission

NOW:

September 12, 2008

St. Paul Building, corner of Barrington and Prince Streets, Halifax

1684 Barrington Street

Built in 1897 and designed by J.C. Dumaresq, this is one of George Wright's commercial buildings. George Wright, a successful businessman and Publisher, was born in 1849 in Dartmouth and died on the Titanic in 1912.

HRM's HRMbyDesign "Downtown Halifax Design Study" highlights the buildings architectural features:

"Architecturally, it stands as a completion of the late 19th century streetscape of which it is a part, and as a fine example in its own right of the Chicago Style influence that prevailed at the time of its construction."

"Perhaps the most outstanding feature of the building is its varied use of yellow and red brickwork and terra cotta to accentuate the cornices, string courses and window heads."

Some Former Tenants:

Manufacturer's Life Insurance

JC Dumaresq and son

New York Life Insurance Co.

Buckley Brothers

Great West Life Assurance Co.

Koolex Kleaners

THEN:

Circa 1900

Photo above courtesy of Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management, Halifax, NS

NOW:

September 12, 2008

Some Relevant Links:

Encyclopedia Titanica George Wright Info

The Dumaresqs

* It is difficult to make a comparison between these two sources; the 52 stations identified in the 1962 City Directory were almost all in peninsular Halifax; therefore from the recent phone book, only stations on the peninsula were included. For a few photos depicting the demise of the Service Station in Halifax, see the Vestiges page.

1907-08 City Directory	1962 City Directory	2005-06 Phone Book
15	47	106*
Miscellaneous Facts	Miscellaneous Facts	Miscellaneous Facts
7 of these Dentists, 46.67%, were on Barrington Street	3 on Barrington St. (6.38%) 6 on Spring Garden Road (12.77%) 8 on Coburg Rd. (17.02%) 8 on Quinpool Rd. (17.02%) 4 on Robie St. (8.51%)	*Approximately 106...I have separated the listings for what would have been considered "Halifax" in 1907-08 and 1960 for a fair comparison. Areas like Clayton Park weren't developed at the time and would have been considered "county" at the time anyway.

THEN (Advertisement from early 80's):

October 2003

Hotel Complex Under Construction

September 2008

Residence Inn by Marriott, now several years old

Comparing the 1962 City Directory to the most recent Telephone book reveals that a number of Halifax eateries have been around for a very long time (at least 40 years!). Here are some that appear in both directories. You will note that the address is different for many of these establishments. In some cases the difference is due to the fact that in the early 1960's, street addresses in Halifax (at least on the peninsula) were renumbered. This would account for the numbers that went from 2 digits to 4. For those civic numbers that were already converted in 1962, I do not know the reason for the difference. If you do, email me.

1962	2002
Ardmore Tea Room 6495 Quinpool Rd.	Ardmore Tea Room 6499 Quinpool Road
Cousin's Snack Bar 37 Agricola Street	Cousin's Snack Bar 2389 Agricola St.
Look Ho Ho Restaurant 66 Bayer's Road	Look Ho Ho Restaurant 6420 Bayer's Road
Robie Food Chop Suey House 3097 Robie Street	Robie Food Chop Suey 3095 Robie Street
Willman's Fried Foods Ltd. 40 Kane St.	Willman's Fried Foods Ltd. 5644 Kane St.
Midtown Tavern 64 Grafton Street	Midtown Tavern & Grill Ltd. 1684 Grafton St.
Town and Country Restaurant Home of Colonel Sanders Kentucky Fried Chicken 6310 Quinpool Road	KFC 6310 Quinpool Road

A look at a map of Halifax from 1894 reveals some street names that have changed over the last century and several are gone completely.

1894	2002
Miller St	Point Pleasant Drive
King Street	Dublin Street
Paris Street	Almon Street (West of Windsor Street)
Longard Street	Robie Street (North of North Street)
Hurd's Lane	Gone (Scotia Square Development)
Jacob Street	Gone (Scotia Square Development)
Buckingham Street	Gone (Scotia Square Development)
Kline Street	Part of Connaught Ave. In a later map of Halifax, this part is referred to as North Kline Street.
McCollough Street	Oxford Street North of North Street
Pleasant Street, Lockman Street and Campbell Road	Barrington Street
Rottenburg Street	Clyde Street

Once again a comparison of the Halifax City Directory from 1962 and 2000 reveals that our demand for some things has increased considerably, decreased considerably for others and some haven't changed much at all!

	Number of Listings in City Directory 1962	Number of Listings in City Directory 2000
Auto Dealers	21	27
Tailors	13	17
Shoe Repair Shops	24	9
Furriers	5	2
Podiatrists	1	3
Veterinary Hospitals	1	9

Can you guess which stores have remained constant over the last 21 years?

Shopping Centre	Number of Stores Listed in 1981 Telephone Directory	Number of Stores Listed in 2002 Telephone Directory	Number of Stores Listed in 1981 That are Still in the Same Shopping Centre, 21 Years Later
Scotia Square	52	49	4
Bayers Road Shopping Centre (now called "The Village at Bayers Road")	91	57	15
Quinpool Centre	32	22	4