(Halifax) With deadlines fast approaching, the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia will soon be moving the 249-year-old Morris House to a lot on Creighton Street in north-end Halifax. Built in 1764, Morris House is Halifax's oldest commercial building and one of the earliest office buildings in Canada. At its new location, the heritage building will finally come to rest on a solid foundation and, along with an extension, will create an attractive, permanent and affordable home for nine contributing young adults.
The Trust and others led the way in saving the building from the landfill in 2009, when developers were making way for a larger building on Hollis Street. Nova Scotia Power Inc. provided the temporary lot while Trust volunteers and partners searched for an alternative site and provided daily security surveillance. The project has brought together a vibrant group of community organizations committed to seeing the historic Morris House restored to a new life for the community.
Heritage Trust President Linda Forbes says the "unique and innovative" partnership for the Morris project brings new resources to the housing sector. Apart from the Trust, the Joint Action Committee for the Morris Building includes Metro Non-Profit Housing Association, the Ecology Action Centre and the ARK. All four groups provide the expertise and contacts needed to deliver the units proposed.
For eighty years, four generations of the Morris family, a dynasty of Chief Surveryors of Nova Scotia, used this architectural heirloom as their office, beginning with Charles Morris who laid out the town of Halifax in 1749. Soon it will provide affordable housing for young adults which will be "indistinguishable" from the existing neighbourhood, in line with the Province of Nova Scotia's objective of invisible housing support, says Forbes.
For more than 20 years the Metro Non-Profit Housing Association has delivered community-based housing units which have been successfully integrated with their neighbourhoods. A key element in the success of these projects has been the development of a peer network among the tenants in a given building so residents develop a sense of ownership and responsibility for their home. A lead tenant in each building helps to foster this sense of community, says Forbes.
The ARK provides supportive activities for young adults or youth who may be experiencing difficulties with the housing market.
The Heritage Trust, the owner of the Morris House, plans to donate it to Metro Non-Profit Housing Association once the building is at its new site and the conservation/new construction work is ready to begin.
The Ecology Action Centre, with its wide ranging energy efficient construction network, is contributing the knowledge and resources necessary for the long-term energy and operating efficiencies that will contribute to the on-going viability of the building.
Construction costs for the conservation and reuse of the Morris House have been estimated at 2/3 of the cost of new construction, making the heritage part of the project an economical alterative. The Trust and its partners are raising money for the move, the conservation and construction. Receiptable donations may be made on-line at www.morrishouse.ca.
Depending on the weather, the move is tentatively scheduled to begin early in the morning on Friday, January 25 or Saturday, January 26.
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