Old Halifax

[OldDartmouthMark]

Thanks for that. The pic is much clearer and shows what a loss it was.

Makes you wonder what they were thinking - how could that have seemed to be a good idea? Different times, I suppose.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

A couple of weeks ago I posted on The Maple thread some pics of the building that used to occupy the corner of Sackville and Hollis Streets before it became the location of a parking lot for many years prior to construction of The Maple. The pics are from the Municipal Archives site and appear to have been taken in the late 1970s/early 1980s time frame. Anecdotally the building was torn down in the late 1980s/early 1990s - I don't remember for certain.

I have a vague memory of the building on the corner but am now fascinated by the one next to it further down the hill to the east. It has some fine-looking columns at street level and I have no memory of it at all. I cannot make out the sign on it in this photo either. Can anyone help fill in the blanks?

[JonHiseler]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I have a vague memory of the building on the corner but am now fascinated by the one next to it further down the hill to the east. It has some fine-looking columns at street level and I have no memory of it at all. I cannot make out the sign on it in this photo either. Can anyone help fill in the blanks?

I zoomed in on the sign and it looks like it says "Commercial Expert" or "Commercial Export"

[OldDartmouthMark]

Hmmm... I have vague memories of it as I used to walk by it on my way home from TUNS in the mid 80s. At that time it seemed very run down and my strongest memory of it is an unpleasant sewer smell that emanated from the area (not sure of the source, but I always associated it with that building).

Here's an earlier pic of it (from 1970) on the Halifax Municipal Archives, looking up from Lower Water Street, after the building next door was demolished.

City of Halifax fonds
Halifax (N.S.). Committee on Works records
Halifax (N.S.) Works Department photographs
1593-1599 Lower Water St.
Retrieval code: 102-39-1-1361
[ca. 1970]

File consists of images documenting the demolition of the former Stairs, Son & Morrow Ltd (hardware) building. Several buildings and businesses in the area can be seen in the photographs including Irving Commercial Equipment, The back of the Ralston Building (1557 Hollis St.) plus buildings on Sackville. In image 1361.7, man in a business suit holding a newspaper is looking at the demolition site as he walks by.

I'm sure another photo of exists somewhere. I'll see what I can find.

[IanWatson]

I have a very vivid memory of walking up to see Cats at the Metro Centre when I was young, and stopping to watch a building get the wrecking ball. I wonder if this would have been the one? It looks like Cats came to Halifax in 1991, and then again in 1994.

[Keith P.]

"HAT**E MILIUS LTD." ???

Now there's a name you don't see every day in Halifax.

[OldDartmouthMark]

I'm curious about that too. A quick google search didn't reveal anything, nor did the old 1878 atlas (that building didn't exist in 1878 according to the atlas).

Hmmm....

[terrynorthend]

Originally Posted by IanWatson

I have a very vivid memory of walking up to see Cats at the Metro Centre when I was young, and stopping to watch a building get the wrecking ball. I wonder if this would have been the one? It looks like Cats came to Halifax in 1991, and then again in 1994.

Around that time they took down the old Hells Hotel building after the fire at Blowers and Barrington. I remember they used a wrecking ball on that one.

[pblaauw]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

"HAT**E MILIUS LTD." ???

Now there's a name you don't see every day in Halifax.

Hattie & Mylius? Who's who in Canada: An Illustrated Biographical Record of Men and Women of the Time, Volumes 6-7 source: Google Books

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by pblaauw

Hattie & Mylius? Who's who in Canada: An Illustrated Biographical Record of Men and Women of the Time, Volumes 6-7 source: Google Books

Bingo! Great detective work!



Googling Hattie & Mylius reveals some good info:

Medicine bottles and glassware:





Source

Narrative: According to a cookbook manufactured by Hattie & Mylis in 1900, we can conclude that the company was in production around this time. According to an electronical document from the Maritime Medical News, the Hattie & Mylius wholesale drug store was located on 155 Hollis Street Halifax. In this advertisement Hattie & Mylius claim to possess rare drugs that they have in stock. According to these documents Hattie & Myluis were definitely in production between 1889 and 1891. Sources: Maritime Medical News: http://www.canadiana.org/view/8_05184_2/4 Culinary landmarks: a bibliography of Canadian cookbooks, 1825-1949 By Elizabeth Driver

History of Use: This bottle was produced by Hattie & Mylius Whole sale Drug Store which was located on 155 Hollis Street in Halifax. From old advertisments in the Maritime Medical News (dating back to 1889), we know that Hattie & Mylius possessed rare drugs that no other stores had in stock.

Source

Note that the address in the info above was 155 Hollis, which would have been north of Sackville Street - I'm assuming that they must have either moved to the Sackville Street location, or perhaps this was some sort of warehouse or other office location for the business. Don't know, but indications are that it was a rather large business.

NS Archives has a scan of their cookbook, which seemed curious to me that a 'druggist' would produce a cookbook. Perhaps it was intended to promote baking powders and such that they must have produced (baking powder mentioned on the cover and advertised on the last page):




https://novascotia.ca/archives/Cooki...4770&Language=

Thanks folks, I always find it interesting to dig up a little bit of Halifax history...

[pblaauw]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Bingo! Great detective work!



Googling Hattie & Mylius reveals some good info:

Medicine bottles and glassware:





Source







Source

Note that the address in the info above was 155 Hollis, which would have been north of Sackville Street - I'm assuming that they must have either moved to the Sackville Street location, or perhaps this was some sort of warehouse or other office location for the business. Don't know, but indications are that it was a rather large business.

NS Archives has a scan of their cookbook, which seemed curious to me that a 'druggist' would produce a cookbook. Perhaps it was intended to promote baking powders and such that they must have produced (baking powder mentioned on the cover and advertised on the last page):




https://novascotia.ca/archives/Cooki...4770&Language=

Thanks folks, I always find it interesting to dig up a little bit of Halifax history...

*mind blown*

[someone123]

Vintage Pizza Corner. I think I might have seen it in this configuration but I'm not sure when this building was redone.


Source

[Keith P.]

I always thought that the demo of the Sicilian site and its rebuild into the current garish configuration was unnecessary given that it was already the newest of the places on that corner. Of course it allowed them to move into an eat-in space so they probably did well as a result but the building is unattractive to me. I always patronized the KoD shop in my forays DT back then anyway.

[JonHiseler]

Originally Posted by someone123

Vintage Pizza Corner. I think I might have seen it in this configuration but I'm not sure when this building was redone.


Source

HalifaxRetales posted a pic of the old Sicilian building being demolished a couple weeks ago and was trying to place a date on it. Looking through the comments sounds like it happened around 1995-96.


https://twitter.com/HalifaxReTales/s...97900648488961

[someone123]

Repost from Canada section:

Originally Posted by someone123

I thought this one was impressively detailed considering the date. Halifax's skyline painted in 1762 by Dominic Serres:


Source

Interesting to me that there would be a French painter working there during the Seven Years' War. Turns out he was taken prisoner by the British navy in the 1740's then decided to move to London after. He did a tour of North America in the early 1760's.

One thing that I find striking in these old paintings is how they cleared most of the trees away in early cities. There used to be more small farms near the cities plus it was advantageous to eliminate hiding places for invaders.

Bonus slightly creepy Victorian shot of the graving dock in Halifax, with the Acadia Sugar Refinery in the background:


Source

Parts of this structure looked quite old and were made out of granite block.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Wow, that's a great view of the Acadia Sugar Factory. I don't think I've ever seen a photo with so much detail.

Gotta say, that area doesn't strike me as a place that would be pleasant to work in - really shows how dingy things could be back then... but perhaps I'm projecting too much as black and white Victorian era photos tend to have that look anyhow...

[OldDartmouthMark]

From the Halifax Municipal Archives, a pic of the waterfront cleared to build the law courts building in the vicinity of George and Upper Water Streets. The archive dates it as 1965, but if you look closely there appears to be some vehicles in the 1967-69 range.



Below, same location in 1958:








And looking north along Upper Water in the mid 1960s:

[Citizen_Bane]

I love seeing these old pics! In the final pic it appears that Upper Water Street must have been two-way traffic leading on to a section of Bedford Row that no longer exists. Also, at the very bottom of the pic we see a wall along George Street that is still there.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Citizen_Bane

I love seeing these old pics! In the final pic it appears that Upper Water Street must have been two-way traffic leading on to a section of Bedford Row that no longer exists. Also, at the very bottom of the pic we see a wall along George Street that is still there.

I've probably posted this one here before, but it's looking towards the location of that wall at the bottom of the photo, dated 1957, three years before the old post office building was torn down:



Source: Halifax Municipal Archives

It's amazing how different that area looks now, especially the area on the left which is almost finished being redone again with the addition of Queen's Marque.

[OldDartmouthMark]

From the Halifax Municipal Archives, major contrast from March 1968 to September 1969 (according to the dates assigned by the archives):