Halifax City Hall
Encyclopedia
Halifax City Hall is the seat of municipal government in Nova Scotia
's Halifax Regional Municipality
.
Since municipal amalgamation took place on 1 April 1996, Halifax City Hall has hosted the regular meetings of the Halifax Regional Council
, as well as various municipal offices.
The building fronts Duke Street and is located at the north end of Grand Parade
, an historic military parade square dating from the founding of Halifax in 1749.
Dalhousie University
was situated on the present-day site of the building during the nineteenth century; for many years, the town and later city council argued for the public use of the site. A compromise was engineered by the premier, Sir William Young
to facilitate a new use for the site. The provincial government provided funding for the university to relocate its facilities and the City of Halifax
granted the university a 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) parcel of land elsewhere in the city to permit the university to expand. The university building was demolished to make way for the new structure and timbers from the old academic building were reportedly incorporated into the municipal building.
It was designed by Edward Elliot and constructed for the City of Halifax
between 1887 and 1890; it is one of the oldest and largest public buildings in Nova Scotia and is a designated National Historic Site of Canada.
Designed in an eclectic, monumental style, the building is of cream and red sandstone
, laid in the freestone technique. It also features granite construction on the ground floor and in the tower. The seven-storey tower has clock faces on the north and south sides. The northern face, visible in the photograph (above right), is fixed at four minutes past nine to commemorate the Halifax Explosion
of 1917.
Since municipal amalgamation in 1996, Halifax City Hall has become too small for the municipal government, thus the building is largely used to support councillors and their staff while municipal departments are located in adjacent commercial office space such as the Duke Tower
(across the street) and Alderney Gate on the Dartmouth
waterfront.
During the late 1990s, Halifax Regional Council attempted to have the building renamed from Halifax City Hall to Halifax Regional Hall, to reflect the fact that Nova Scotia no longer has any "cities"; this was promptly rejected after a public outcry among heritage advocates.
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
's Halifax Regional Municipality
Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia
Halifax Regional Municipality is the capital of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The Regional Municipality had a 2006 census population of 372,679, while the metropolitan area had a 2010 estimated population of 403,188, and the urban area of Halifax had a population of 282,924...
.
Since municipal amalgamation took place on 1 April 1996, Halifax City Hall has hosted the regular meetings of the Halifax Regional Council
Halifax Regional Council
Halifax Regional Council is the governing body for the Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia.In April 1996, the councils for the City of Halifax, the City of Dartmouth, Town of Bedford, and Municipality of the County of Halifax were dissolved when those municipalities were amalgamated into...
, as well as various municipal offices.
History
Grand Parade (Halifax)
The Grand Parade is an historic military parade square dating from the founding of Halifax in 1749. At the north end of the Grand Parade is the Halifax City Hall, the seat of municipal government in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality. At the south end is St. Paul's Church...
, an historic military parade square dating from the founding of Halifax in 1749.
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
was situated on the present-day site of the building during the nineteenth century; for many years, the town and later city council argued for the public use of the site. A compromise was engineered by the premier, Sir William Young
William Young (politician)
Sir William Young, KCB was a Nova Scotia politician and jurist.Born in Falkirk, the son of John Young and Agnes Renny, Young was first elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in 1836 as a Reformer and, as a lawyer, defended Reform journalists accused of libel...
to facilitate a new use for the site. The provincial government provided funding for the university to relocate its facilities and the City of Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
granted the university a 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) parcel of land elsewhere in the city to permit the university to expand. The university building was demolished to make way for the new structure and timbers from the old academic building were reportedly incorporated into the municipal building.
It was designed by Edward Elliot and constructed for the City of Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
between 1887 and 1890; it is one of the oldest and largest public buildings in Nova Scotia and is a designated National Historic Site of Canada.
Designed in an eclectic, monumental style, the building is of cream and red sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, laid in the freestone technique. It also features granite construction on the ground floor and in the tower. The seven-storey tower has clock faces on the north and south sides. The northern face, visible in the photograph (above right), is fixed at four minutes past nine to commemorate the Halifax Explosion
Halifax Explosion
The Halifax Explosion occurred on Thursday, December 6, 1917, when the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was devastated by the huge detonation of the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship, fully loaded with wartime explosives, which accidentally collided with the Norwegian SS Imo in "The Narrows"...
of 1917.
Since municipal amalgamation in 1996, Halifax City Hall has become too small for the municipal government, thus the building is largely used to support councillors and their staff while municipal departments are located in adjacent commercial office space such as the Duke Tower
Duke Tower
Duke Tower is part of the Scotia Square Complex, in Downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is used for office and commercial use and stands at 71 meters with 16 floors. It in part houses the offices of Emera. The building is connected to the Downtown Halifax Link system.Other Building part of the Scotia...
(across the street) and Alderney Gate on the Dartmouth
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Dartmouth founded in 1750, is a community and planning area of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. Located on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour, Dartmouth has been nicknamed the City of Lakes after the large number of lakes located in the city.On April 1, 1996, the provincial...
waterfront.
During the late 1990s, Halifax Regional Council attempted to have the building renamed from Halifax City Hall to Halifax Regional Hall, to reflect the fact that Nova Scotia no longer has any "cities"; this was promptly rejected after a public outcry among heritage advocates.