Video: Driving through Halifax in 1989

[someone123]

Somebody recently posted this video of downtown Halifax from 1989.

It's pretty interesting, although they frustratingly pan away from some of the spots that are most interesting today.

Barrington overall looks somewhat worse than today. It looks like it had already gone substantially downhill by 1989. The early 90's were a real low point downtown. That's when the NFB building burned and the Barrington and George buildings were torn down. Barrington Gate is one of a very small number of decent 90's buildings in Halifax.

The Cornwallis House corner on Spring Garden Road is shown too. Back when the video was filmed they were tearing down the old wooden Victorian shop buildings in preparation for construction. I've seen pictures of that corner taken around 1890 and it looked basically the same as the 1989 views, except there was a church where the bank building with Rogue's Roost was later constructed.

BQ4hUuArFbs

[cormiermax]

Wow what a cool video! The coolest thing by far was the old white building on the corner of Spring Garden, I thought the modern building would have been in place by then!

[Keith P.]

Agreed on Barrington - there was far more retailactivity there then than there is now. Same is true for Gottingen, where there were actually viable retail businesses there. I had forgotten what those buildings on the corner where Cornwallis Place now sits used to look like. Surprised nobody tried to block their demolition.

Sweet ride too! :yes:

[Wishblade]

Man, Purdy's Wharf was brand spankin' new when this video was taken! I was almost expecting it to still be partially under construction.

[spaustin]

Neat! Gottingen looked a little rough around the edges, but there seemed to be fewer holes and the movie theater was still there. Seeing what was lost at the Birks Block on Barrington just makes you sad and, yes it does look like Barrington had more retail back then. Seems like you have to go back to 1989 to find a time when that house on Spring Garden actually had a tenant.

[cormiermax]

Turns out this guys got loads!

A30bRyj3h40

[cormiermax]

Interesting note, in the second part of that video there was a Dunkin Doughnuts on Barington. I had no idea they ever expanded here?

[mcmcclassic]

Interesting note, in the second part of that video there was a Dunkin Doughnuts on Barington. I had no idea they ever expanded here?

Yeah they used to have some stores here. I remember going to one in the Superstore in Sackville when I was a little kid (before they renovated the whole property). I think most of them closed in the later 90's because of Tim Horton's having such a giant market share.

[Jstaleness]

Wasn't there Dunkin's on the old P.E.I Ferries?

[someone123]

Seems like you have to go back to 1989 to find a time when that house on Spring Garden actually had a tenant.

The house was mentioned in an article a number of years ago in one of the papers. Apparently at the time the owner was regularly getting calls from prospective tenants but the building has not been leased out. There are a number of quirky landlords in Halifax.

I noticed that there was more retail on Barrington, but I also noticed just how out of date many of those stores look. A lot of them, like Sam the Record Man or Carsand Mosher, are no longer relevant at all. Today people get music on their computer, and many books come from Amazon whether they are in electronic or physical format. Other businesses like the Shopppers that used to be in the Roy Building were nothing special. I think newer businesses like Freak Lunchbox or Obladee are more interesting and they are part of an evolution in the role of the urban centre. The decline of some kinds of retail is one part of that but not the entire picture.

[Hali87]

Another one from the same set. Herring Cove, Gottingen, Barrington, Spring Garden.
UdF955rs3o0

It's interesting how much more lit-up Spring Garden and Quinpool used to be, with all the neon.

[Wishblade]

Another one from the same set. Herring Cove, Gottingen, Barrington, Spring Garden.
UdF955rs3o0

It's interesting how much more lit-up Spring Garden and Quinpool used to be, with all the neon.

59.1 cents per litre for gasoline? God damn, lol.

[Keith P.]

Camera operator had a bad case of the jitters.

Interesting to see how little some has changed while also seeing how many other things have. While Gottingen overall seems about as slummy then as now, it was interesting to see that Glubes and New York Dress were still operating there in one section of the film, and that the Casino Theater, although apparently closed, still looked respectable, while the old Vogue/Eve Theater looked like it was ready to fall down. Today, the Casino has been replaced by Theater Lofts while the Vogue building has found new life as Global TV's studios.

Also interesting to see that in one section the old Sobeys on Gottingen had been demolished, while in another section of film it was still standing and in use as Global Furniture & Appliance. I suspect that business was fairly short-lived.

It was also interesting to see the old Canadian Pacific (?) Telegraph building on the corner of Barrington and George still standing. I vaguely remember that building but it was soon to be knocked down along with Birks and the one in between that was in use as a bookstore IIRC. They remain parking lots today - a shameful waste of prime land.

I remember that era's Spring Garden very well. The Little Nugget, the Garden View, and those storefronts in the old wood-frame buildings running west from Queen St. SGR is better today but memory lane is nice to visit.

[JET]

the little nugget even had two locations on Spring Garden; both were excellent

[worldlyhaligonian]

Whoa, what is the building across from TD? When was that torn down? More importantly, why hasn't it been replaced?

Not much has changed... this is 25 years ago. The damage of the HT stopping so many developments is evident.

[Wishblade]

This is a video I just found showing a drive through Halifax circa 1960. I instantly recognized the drive as starting on Herring Cove Rd even though much has changed.

rx_T9bIE4Mc

[Drybrain]

Whoa, what is the building across from TD? When was that torn down? More importantly, why hasn't it been replaced?


That's the Crowe Building, pictured here (http://blog.builthalifax.ca/2013/06/missing-from-barrington-street.html) along with two other excellent structures that were foolishly permitted to be torn down in the early 90s (or maybe 89) in order to accommodate a tower proposal. Heritage Trust actually had nothing to do with killing the tower it (indeed, they were obviously powerless to halt the demolition). It was the early 90s real-estate bust that kiboshed the tower project--after, sadly, the existing buildings were already gone.

Would've really bolster that stretch of Barrington to have them back. This is part of the reason why knocking down the Dennis at this point would just be the final insult to what was really a magnificent block.

[worldlyhaligonian]

That's the Crowe Building, pictured here (http://blog.builthalifax.ca/2013/06/missing-from-barrington-street.html) along with two other excellent structures that were foolishly permitted to be torn down in the early 90s (or maybe 89) in order to accommodate a tower proposal. Heritage Trust actually had nothing to do with killing the tower it (indeed, they were obviously powerless to halt the demolition). It was the early 90s real-estate bust that kiboshed the tower project--after, sadly, the existing buildings were already gone.

Would've really bolster that stretch of Barrington to have them back. This is part of the reason why knocking down the Dennis at this point would just be the final insult to what was really a magnificent block.

Thanks for the info.

Could a tall building (residential) be built there?

[Keith P.]

That's the Crowe Building, pictured here (http://blog.builthalifax.ca/2013/06/missing-from-barrington-street.html) along with two other excellent structures that were foolishly permitted to be torn down in the early 90s (or maybe 89) in order to accommodate a tower proposal. Heritage Trust actually had nothing to do with killing the tower it (indeed, they were obviously powerless to halt the demolition). It was the early 90s real-estate bust that kiboshed the tower project--after, sadly, the existing buildings were already gone.

Would've really bolster that stretch of Barrington to have them back. This is part of the reason why knocking down the Dennis at this point would just be the final insult to what was really a magnificent block.


You've got your sources mixed up. From the page you cited (typos at source):

1739 Barrington serverd as part of the Atlantic Trust Comapny. The first floor was retail, and the Boardroom was located on the second floor. The ground floor was occupied by a Jewler into the 1960's

The Atlantic Trust building stood on the Corner of Barrington and George. Also built in 1912 for Cragg Bros. & Co Hardware. AT the time it was considered the tallest (at 7 stories) and most modern building in the Maritimes. Likely built in the Chicago Style. with concrete and brick. In the 1960's Most of the ornimentation was removed during a modernization by Fowler Bauld and Mitchel as part of an overhaul by Atlantic Trust.

These Structures were all demolished in the early 1980's to make way for a never constructed office tower. The land is Currently owned by the province.

[Drybrain]

You've got your sources mixed up. From the page you cited (typos at source):

Ah, yes, I was just looking for the pics, didn't read the whole post--yes, Atlantic Trust at the corner, Crowe on the right-hand side.

I also could've sworn the block was knocked down in 89, but could easily be wrong. I don't go back that far, myself.

[Keith P.]

Ah, yes, I was just looking for the pics, didn't read the whole post--yes, Atlantic Trust at the corner, Crowe on the right-hand side.

I also could've sworn the block was knocked down in 89, but could easily be wrong. I don't go back that far, myself.

I think the early '80s reference is wrong, at least for the other buildings. I clearly remember buying a book at the store in between the Trust building and Birks - what was that called? - in the summer of 1990 or '91, I'm pretty sure. That book seller moved shortly thereafter to a space in the Lord Nelson Arcade that was quite nice when it first opened in the early '90s, though I don't think it lasted very long.

What I do know is that the Trust building was gone by 1995. The G7 Summit here that year resulted in a temporary restaurant being placed there for the duration of the event and it was jam-packed every time I went past. Then it was gone.

[someone123]

While Gottingen overall seems about as slummy then as now, it was interesting to see that Glubes and New York Dress were still operating there in one section of the film, and that the Casino Theater, although apparently closed, still looked respectable, while the old Vogue/Eve Theater looked like it was ready to fall down. Today, the Casino has been replaced by Theater Lofts while the Vogue building has found new life as Global TV's studios.

It's interesting to note that the low point for Gottingen was more like 1998-2005. It looks noticeably better in the video and noticeably better today than it did at its worst. It's unfortunate that there wasn't a little more overlap between the era when these old businesses were still holding on and recent gentrification. Maybe more of the old stuff would have survived. Unfortunately this is a drawback of NIMBYism/red tape and bungled projects like St. Pat's-A.

I think one day people will look back at pictures from Halifax in the mid-late 90's and early last decade as a kind of low point for the inner city.

[Luisito]

It's interesting to note that the low point for Gottingen was more like 1998-2005. It looks noticeably better in the video and noticeably better today than it did at its worst. It's unfortunate that there wasn't a little more overlap between the era when these old businesses were still holding on and recent gentrification. Maybe more of the old stuff would have survived. Unfortunately this is a drawback of NIMBYism/red tape and bungled projects like St. Pat's-A.

I think one day people will look back at pictures from Halifax in the mid-late 90's and early last decade as a kind of low point for the inner city.


The low point fot Gottingen was way before 98. That area looked worse in the 80s and early part of the 90s. By the mid/late 90s they started fixing that area up knocking down and fixing up delapidated homes. Younger people started moving in.

Gottingen is one thing, but those back streets Creighton, Gerrish, Maynard, cornwallis etc etc were bad. I would throw Agricola in there as well. By the late 90s that area started improving.