Historic Morris House survived the War of 1812, the Halifax explosion and Hurricane Juan. It’s more than a century-and-a-half older than Canada itself.
It even escaped the wrecking ball in 2009 thanks to local heritage groups. But efforts to revive the grey-shingled relic have dragged on for more than three years since it was moved across town to make way for a condo development in 2013.
The 253-year-old Morris building is the oldest commercial structure in Halifax, and one of the earliest office buildings in Canada, according to the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia. It was built to stand the test of time, with brick bolstering the framing timbers.
The wooden structure was carefully transported through Halifax’s narrow streets – travelling four kilometres over the course of two days – to a new home at the corner of Creighton and Charles streets. Now, three years later, it sits unoccupied and unfinished.
The plan was to repurpose one of the few surviving examples of early colonial architecture into a home for at-risk youth, but critics complain residents in the neighbourhood were not consulted and it was placed too close to a nearby elementary school.
While renovating a heritage property is always a delicate endeavour, the project’s designers say transforming Morris House into a functional space will be especially challenging, but ultimately worth the effort.
“The qualities of light of those windows, that made the building look so well as a public space. The hallways are eight feet wide and very accommodating,” design consultant Joshua Collins told CTV News.
Renovations are expected to ramp up again over the next few weeks, but it could be years before this old house reclaims its former glory.
With a report from CTV’s Todd Battis in Halifax
