Old Halifax - Page 90

Keith P. · #**1781** Posted **Jun 7, 2026, 10:10 PM**

To be fair, that particular building was very run-down and worn out decades before it was demolished. Its location at the entry to Stadacona meant that it was heavily used in two world wars by great numbers of people. You would probably have needed to have a replica built.

OldDartmouthMark · #**1782** Posted **Jun 9, 2026, 2:21 AM**

Yeah, it does look pretty rugged in the pic, like lots of old buildings did in that neighbourhood at the time. Really just noting that the style was kind of unique and it would not have been an unattractive building had it been maintained or restored.

Really time and time again I look at old photos of some parts of Halifax, and other than the terrain and one or two landmarks I would have no idea that they are the same city if I didn’t have the memories that connect the present to the past.

HalifaxRetales · #**1783** Posted **Jun 9, 2026, 9:51 AM**

came across this in the 1980 HBC financial report

JET · #**1784** Posted **Jun 9, 2026, 10:59 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Yeah, it does look pretty rugged in the pic, like lots of old buildings did in that neighbourhood at the time. Really just noting that the style was kind of unique and it would not have been an unattractive building had it been maintained or restored.

Really time and time again I look at old photos of some parts of Halifax, and other than the terrain and one or two landmarks I would have no idea that they are the same city if I didn’t have the memories that connect the present to the past.

I agree that the details on the buildings are unique in Halifax. I expect that it was solidly built with good bones. The exterior looks to be in OK condition and a sand and paint job would have done wonders. Such a loss, such a lack of vision in Halifax.

OldDartmouthMark · #**1785** Posted **Jun 14, 2026, 1:35 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by HalifaxRetales

came across this in the 1980 HBC financial report

Nice pic. I recall that the park on the Dartmouth side was really quite nice in the 1980s. That ferry would have been quite new at the time, as they had just changed over from the 1950s wooden ferries that were built at Smith & Rhuland in Lunenburg.

worldlyhaligonian · #**1786** Posted **Aug 22, 2026, 4:21 AM**

This pic from an ebay postcard is wild. I can't believe they fumbled this pool?

Incredible how parts of downtown were iconic back in the day.

HalifaxRetales · #**1787** Posted **Aug 22, 2026, 6:24 AM**

A friend sent me this the other day

They have a retrospective gallery in one of the halls after the latest reno back to Delta

Quote:

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

This pic from an ebay postcard is wild. I can't believe they fumbled this pool?

Incredible how parts of downtown were iconic back in the day.

connect2source · #**1788** Posted **Aug 22, 2026, 6:45 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

This pic from an ebay postcard is wild. I can't believe they fumbled this pool?

Incredible how parts of downtown were iconic back in the day.

Great photo, guessing it's from the Chateau Halifax ( CP Hotels ) days.

ns_kid · #**1789** Posted **Aug 22, 2026, 11:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by connect2source

Great photo, guessing it's from the Chateau Halifax ( CP Hotels ) days.

It is indeed. My dad had his office for a time in the late 60s-early 70s in Duke Tower overlooking the pool. It was a year-round indoor-outdoor pool. Hours of entertainment watching swimmers emerge from inside into the light. I don’t recall when the pool closed but I was sorry to see it go. The Toronto Hilton on Richmond Street West has had a similar pool since it opened in 1975.

worldlyhaligonian · #**1790** Posted **Aug 22, 2026, 11:44 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ns_kid

It is indeed. My dad had his office for a time in the late 60s-early 70s in Duke Tower overlooking the pool. It was a year-round indoor-outdoor pool. Hours of entertainment watching swimmers emerge from inside into the light. I don’t recall when the pool closed but I was sorry to see it go. The Toronto Hilton on Richmond Street West has had a similar pool since it opened in 1975.

Thanks for the story! What a time it must have been!

Makes you think - any time one of these people says something is "impossible in Halifax" now or decries any kind of cool thing... it is possible.

Who even stays at this hotel now? Doesn't make sense without amenities!

OldDartmouthMark · #**1791** Posted **Aug 23, 2026, 12:50 AM**

It just takes someone or some organization to have imagination and a will to do new and interesting things (not “new” in this case as we’re looking at an old photo). It seems that died some time ago to be replaced by easy safe things and here we are.

I used to moan that we never built big infrastructure and other projects anymore, but then came the trade wars and a PM who understands that big things need to happen and knows how to get them going. So there’s hope…

Keith P. · #**1792** Posted **Aug 23, 2026, 12:07 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

Thanks for the story! What a time it must have been!

Makes you think - any time one of these people says something is "impossible in Halifax" now or decries any kind of cool thing... it is possible.

Who even stays at this hotel now? Doesn't make sense without amenities!

I have not been in there in many years, probably since the early '00s, but I hear anecdotally that the rooms are not well-kept. I do not know what has happened to the pool area other than reading here that it has been removed. I think the decline of the CP Hotels chain and its eventual disappearance obviously hurt it. I am generally not much of a fan of the Delta chain. They tend to be very mid at best.

I remember speaking with the head of NS Tourism a few times a decade or two ago and they lamented the lack of a high-end hotelier in Halifax. I guess that may have changed in recent times. Unfortunately this property now only looks worse by comparison.

Summerville · #**1793** Posted **Aug 23, 2026, 2:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I have not been in there in many years, probably since the early '00s, but I hear anecdotally that the rooms are not well-kept. I do not know what has happened to the pool area other than reading here that it has been removed. I think the decline of the CP Hotels chain and its eventual disappearance obviously hurt it. I am generally not much of a fan of the Delta chain. They tend to be very mid at best.

I remember speaking with the head of NS Tourism a few times a decade or two ago and they lamented the lack of a high-end hotelier in Halifax. I guess that may have changed in recent times. Unfortunately this property now only looks worse by comparison.

I work in Duke Tower and have a view of the Delta. It looks like they are completely renovating the rooms.

OldDartmouthMark · #**1794** Posted **Aug 23, 2026, 4:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Summerville

I work in Duke Tower and have a view of the Delta. It looks like they are completely renovating the rooms.

Complete renovation, I believe. We were going to book there for the Olympic curling trials last November, but the hotel was sold and planning a complete renovation, as I was told. Didn’t want to risk losing the reservation so we booked elsewhere. Even the restaurant was closed and it wasn’t clear at the time if it was even going to be reopened when the renovation was completed. I am surprised that it is still going on, though. I thought it would have been finished months ago.