Quote:
Originally Posted by someone123
Sometimes a building looks modest but is registered because of some historically important event.
There are some heritage buildings like that (the Wanderers Grounds one was a potential example but I think it's gone now anyway) but the larger problem is buildings that should be heritage and aren't. Or, looking at it another way, there should be some kind of protection for "character buildings" that were often built to a higher level of quality and are more attractive and durable than the newer developments that replace them. Height/density bonuses would be one good way to deal with this problem. A lot of old buildings are torn down merely because they happen to be on larger lots that can accommodate something larger, not because it is impossible to maintain them. They are torn down because incorporating the older building would be a bit more expensive than tearing it down and the developer has little economic incentive to do so.
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I just re-read this conversation and an example came to mind which illustrates that just because a heritage building isn't grand in scale or decoration, it can still have historical significance.
The case in mind is 133 Octherloney Street in Dartmouth. At first glance it doesn't appear to be much - and in terms of its physical stature it isn't. It's a very small, basic house, likely built at a relatively small cost.
On Google:
https://www.google.ca/maps/@44.66924...7i13312!8i6656
Looking into it further, though, you will discover that it actually was one of the houses lived in by Irish labourers that were building the Shubenacadie Canal. The house was built in 1831 and is perhaps the only one remaining from the Irish Town community in Dartmouth.
From page 9 of the walking tour brochure linked below:
Quote:
In this neighbourhood Irish labourers lived
while building the Shubenacadie Canal.
The area became known as “Irish Town”. In
the collection of the Nova Scotia Museum
we identified a picture taken of two houses
on Ochterloney Street in 1931. Future
historians may be able to identify where
these houses once stood. At this time only
the house at 133 Ochterloney Street is
confirmed as an Irish Town House.
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http://downtowndartmouth.ca/images/u...es_Revised.pdf
http://www.halifax.ca/Heritage-Prope...sDartmouth.pdf
So, while it may not be impressive in its physical form, it is still very significant as a part of local history.
Sorry, I realize that this is a bit of a derail of this thread, but I think it's an important part of the discussion.