I've long suspected that a development would come along for this site. The wooden building is definitely interesting but feels like it's a leftover from another era:
There were probably a bunch of these around Halifax and Dartmouth back in the 1950s and earlier. I've seen old pictures of Dartmouth with rows of wooden four storey apartments that are similar. I'm guessing a few of them burned down and others were simply demolished as slums or replaced by modern buildings in the 60s and 70s.
One can argue about the architecture of this one but I think the form and uses are perfect for the neighbourhood. I also like the curved corner detail.
The Southern end of Hollis and Barrington are going to be a really solid, upscale neighbourhood in a few years. It's a small area but it has a good location, great old building stock, and good access to public space like Cornwallis Park and the waterfront.