Halifax’s heritage committee is recommending council register a property at the corner of Robie and South streets.
The Heritage Advisory Committee considered 1206 Robie St. during a virtual meeting on Wednesday.
Municipal heritage planner Elizabeth Cushing told the committee John R. Richardson, the first resident, built the house in 1875. Cushing said the home is a localized version of a vernacular gothic cottage design advertised in the Canada Farmer newspaper in 1864.
“The combination of a centre-pitched roof, typically found in gothic revival style homes, combined with five-sided Scottish dormers and a storm porch is an example of vernacular architecture that is unique to Halifax,” Cushing said.
There are similar buildings elsewhere in peninsular Halifax and in downtown Dartmouth.
This one is of high architectural integrity, Cushing said, with minimal alterations over its 148 years.
The committee scored the property 72 out of 100 possible points, with high scores for architectural importance, architectural integrity, and relationship to surrounding area.
“It’s one of my favourite homes in the city,” committee member Lois Yorke said. “It’s beautiful.”
With that score, the committee recommended Halifax regional council hold a heritage hearing to consider registering the property.
Also during Wednesday’s meeting, the committee voted to recommend council hold a hearing to deregister a property in Middle Sackville. The property owner subdivided a lot on Old Sackville Road. It also included a church, cemetery, and church hall that have been registered since 1997. The parcel to be deregistered is vacant, and the others would maintain their registration.
Let us cross our fingers we do not see any more destruction of heritage like this.