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50-521: Barrington Street is centrally located within the original Halifax street grid, laid out in the 18th century. It remains one of the main streets of the city and is home to numerous shops, office buildings, and the Halifax City Hall . Barrington Street is part of the original street grid laid out by engineer John Bruce and surveyor Charles Morris when Halifax was established as a British fortress. The streets were named after leading British statesmen, but

100-462: A besieged City Hall, the damage included a couple of turned over cars, and a police wagon and police motorcycle being thrown in the harbour. The Citizens' Free Library was moved from place to place in the city for many years until 1890 when it was given a permanent home on the second floor of the then new City Hall. The Library closed in 1949 reopening as a part of the new Halifax Memorial Library on Spring Garden Road at Grafton Street in 1950, though

150-497: A circular carriage drive that began at Barrington Street and looped in front of City Hall. The retaining wall on Barrington was rebuilt at this time. Keating's plan also specified a circular fountain that was not built until 1905. It was removed to make way for the Cenotaph, officially unveiled on July 1, 1929 by Sir Robert Borden . The Cenotaph, honouring Canada's war dead, was designed by Scottish sculptor J. Massey Rhind . In 1907

200-508: A heavy rain storm on October 19 that destroyed several tents and caused local flooding. The Halifax City Hall is located on the original site of Dalhousie University , built 1821. The university building was demolished to make way for the new structure and timbers from the old academic building were reportedly incorporated into the municipal building, the Halifax City Hall. It was designed by architect Edward Elliot and constructed for

250-522: A main street of Halifax. After the town's founding it became a fashionable street for promenading. In 1766 the eastern sidewalk was planked and became known as the "mall" until it fell into disrepair in the 1820s and was dismantled. By the 19th century, Barrington Street was the main commercial district in Halifax. Horse-drawn streetcars began operating on Barrington Street in 1866. These were replaced by electric streetcars by 1896. The street saw big changes in

300-495: A major upgrade in 2012. The renovation was driven in part to accommodate the newly downsized 16 member Regional Council, reduced from 23. It also allowed for modern wiring, communications, data and video systems to be installed. An open horseshoe configuration was restored to the chamber that reflects the original layout from 1890. Halifax City Hall continues to house the offices of the Chief Administrative Officer ,

350-461: A military engineer, sited the town within a defensive perimeter while Charles Morris, appointed Chief Surveyor on 25 September 1749, worked on the town layout and probably conducted the actual surveying. Moses Harris, a settler skilled in draughting, published the town plan for Halifax in 1749. It comprised an urban grid made up of oblong, rectangular city blocks with the Grand Parade at the centre of

400-562: Is also a popular site for political demonstrations, and as a starting or ending point for protest marches. An Occupy Nova Scotia camp was established at the Grand Parade on October 15, 2011. An occupation by about 300 people began with about 25 tents including a medical tent, art supplies, a food and entertainment tent hosting discussion groups, art creation as well as a daily General Assembly. The first major activities were performance contributions to Halifax's Nocturne nighttime arts festival . The gathering grew to 30 tents by October 20, despite

450-409: Is constructed of local Tangier granite. The sculpture depicts victorious but grieving Britannia representing Nova Scotian motherhood. There are also three ceremonial wreaths, the names of First and Second World War Battles honours, a dedication, the coat of arms of both Nova Scotia and Canada as well as a Victory Cross . During a 2009 maintenance inspection structural problems were discovered with

500-677: Is fixed at four minutes past nine to commemorate the Halifax Explosion of 1917. The Cenotaph in the middle of Grand Parade was dedicated on Dominion Day (July 1) 1929 by Former Prime Minister Robert Borden to commemorate those who died in World War I . The Bronze work on the cenotaph was modelled after Edwin Lutyens ' famous Cenotaph in Whitehall , England , with a statue of Britannia by noted Scottish sculpture John Massey Rhind . The Cenotaph

550-404: Is home to a variety of events all year-round. Each November 11, the Cenotaph is home to the official Remembrance Day commemoration ceremony. There are celebrations on other holidays including Canada Day , and an annual concert and countdown on New Year's Eve . The municipality also allows community groups to hire the square for special events, although there are special rules governing the use of

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600-469: Is now the base for the Halifax Regional Council . The building fronts Duke Street and is located at the north end of Grand Parade , an historic military parade square dating from the founding of Halifax in 1749. Dalhousie University was situated on the present-day site of the building during the nineteenth century; for many years, the town and later city council argued for the public use of

650-570: Is slated to be demolished in the near future. In the current redevelopment plans, Barrington Street would form a continuous street once again. Download coordinates as: 44°39′23.96″N 63°35′5.86″W  /  44.6566556°N 63.5849611°W  / 44.6566556; -63.5849611  ( Barrington Street ) Halifax City Hall Halifax City Hall is the home of municipal government in Halifax , Nova Scotia , Canada . Designed by architect Edward Elliot , and constructed for

700-515: The City of Halifax between 1887 and 1890; it is one of the oldest and largest public buildings in Nova Scotia and is a designated National Historic Site of Canada . The building is of cream and red sandstone , designed in an eclectic, monumental style. It features granite construction on the ground floor and in the tower. The seven storey tower has clock faces on the north and south sides. The northern face

750-629: The Duke Tower (across the street), Alderney Gate on the Dartmouth waterfront, and various other sites around the region. Grand Parade (Halifax) The Grand Parade (sometimes incorrectly referred to as "Parade Square") is a historic military parade square dating from the founding of Halifax in 1749. At the north end of the Grand Parade, is the Halifax City Hall , the seat of municipal government in Nova Scotia 's Halifax Regional Municipality . At

800-528: The 1970s. A citizen committee was convened to lead a substantial renovation of the building in the 1980s. Halifax Hall, a large public meeting room, was created out of a number of offices in the east wing of the second floor. A damaging coating was applied to the sandstone in the 1990s. Repairs were successfully completed in 2013. City Hall was chosen to become the seat of the newly created Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996 and became home to Halifax Regional Council as well as various municipal offices. During

850-636: The Citizens Free Library, as well as the offices of the Inspector of Licenses, the Collector of Rents and Licenses, the Foreman of Streets, and the Foreman of Water Works. The fourth floor held a caretaker's apartment, and a space variously described as a ball room, a gallery, and a museum, though the space may simply not have been completed when the building was opened. In 1907 stables were constructed under

900-645: The City Collector's Office, which was the only room still serviceable after the explosion. An emergency joint meeting of the Members of the City Council present and Citizens in attendance was chaired by the Lieutenant-Governor, and would continue to meet there from December 1917 to late February 1918. On May 25, 1918 a riot broke out in downtown Halifax following the arrest of an unruly and drunken sailor. Besides

950-488: The City of Halifax between 1887 and 1890, it is one of the oldest and largest public buildings in Nova Scotia. The property was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1997. Halifax City Hall was opened for municipal business, and for public access, in 1890 replacing offices in the old court house on the Halifax waterfront. City Hall was chosen to become the seat of the newly created Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996 and

1000-695: The Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, the Municipal Clerk , legislative assistants, and media relations offices. The offices and support staff for the municipality's elected officials are also located here, with the Office of the Mayor on the third floor and the Office of the Councillors located on the fourth floor. Other municipal departments are located in adjacent commercial office space such as

1050-449: The Grand Parade, including restrictions on advertising and the clause that events must remain 20 feet away from the Cenotaph. Visiting dignitaries and members of the royal family often tour the square and greet the public there. For example, the Queen visited the square on a 10-day tour of Canada in 1994, where she reviewed a guard of honour and laid a wreath at the cenotaph. The Grand Parade

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1100-533: The Grand Parade. The parade was improved in 1995 for the 21st G7 summit . Three functional areas were designated to accommodate different needs and uses: St. Paul's Plaza, the Civic Plaza in the centre, and the City Hall Plaza in front of City Hall. The pedestrian entrance to the City Hall Plaza from Argyle Street was added in 1999. For several decades, regional councillors were allowed to park their cars in

1150-446: The Grand Parade. This was controversial; a 1989 report stated that "a consensus of opinion indicates that all parking in the Grand Parade should be eliminated." The Coast argued for parking to be removed, derisively labeling the status quo as the "Grand Parkade". On May 20, 2003 councillors Sheila Fougere and Dawn Sloane brought forward a motion to seek alternative parking elsewhere so the space could be opened for public use, but this

1200-453: The building is of cream and red sandstone , laid in the freestone technique. It also features granite construction on the ground floor and in the tower. The seven-storey tower has clock faces on the north and south sides. The northern face (visible in the photograph above left), is fixed at four minutes past nine to commemorate the Halifax Explosion of 1917. City Hall had five primary entrances in 1890. The grand entrance off of Grand Parade

1250-632: The collection moved in 2014 to Halifax Central Library . The space formerly occupied by the library is now split between the office of the Mayor and the CAO. The Halifax Police moved into the Market Building on Brunswick Street in 1953 from its cramped quarters in City Hall. The police department remained on Brunswick Street until moving to their current location in the David R. McKinnon Building on Gottingen Street in

1300-511: The council asked E.H. Keating, the city engineer, to investigate ways to improve the Grand Parade. Keating suggested building a new city hall at the south end of the site. Public opinion preferred the Dalhousie site, at the north end of the square. In the end, Dalhousie agreed to relocated to the city's South End and a decision was made to build a "respectable building" on the site of the college. At this time Mayor James MacIntosh suggested renaming

1350-403: The exterior stone was replaced with new sandstone. The roof was replaced, heating and cooling systems upgraded and the 110-year-old elevator shaft decommissioned and replaced with a new, full size elevator. Interior upgrades were undertaken to bring the public and office spaces up to modern standards while respecting and maintaining character defining heritage elements. Council Chambers underwent

1400-470: The late 1990s, Halifax Regional Council attempted to have the building renamed from Halifax City Hall to Halifax Regional Hall, to reflect the fact that Nova Scotia no longer has any "cities". This proposal was promptly rejected after a public outcry among heritage advocates. In 2011 a major multi-year restoration of the building began. The original cornerstone of the building and several other stone facade features were painstakingly restored, while up to 80% of

1450-521: The mid-20th century, with massive demolition under the banner of urban renewal . A huge swath of the downtown area, north of Duke Street, was cleared for the development of Scotia Square and the Cogswell Interchange . The Birk's Building at the George Street intersection, along with several adjacent smaller structures, were demolished in the early 1990s. This site is now under the ownership of

1500-657: The monument. It was completely dismantled and rebuilt in time for the Remembrance Day ceremony that year. St. Paul's Church is the first Protestant Church built in Canada and the oldest building in Halifax. Founded in 1749, the first service held on 2 September 1750. It is the oldest still-standing Anglican church in Canada. It is based on the ground plan of the Gibbs church of St. Peter's, Vere Street in London, with later additions such as

1550-494: The new structure and timbers from the old academic building were reportedly incorporated into the municipal building. Designed by Edward Elliot and constructed for the City of Halifax between 1887 and 1890; it is one of the oldest and largest public buildings in Nova Scotia and is a designated National Historic Site of Canada . In 1981, it was also listed as a Municipally Registered Property under Nova Scotia's Heritage Property Act . Designed in an eclectic, monumental style,

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1600-431: The north-east corner of the Grand Parade, at Barrington Street next to the dry moat. This involved the installation of one regular size door and a larger door for horses and carts in the two northernmost granite arched bays, opening onto Barrington Street . After the Halifax Explosion , Deputy Mayor Colwell, five aldermen, and twelve citizens, including Lieutenant-Governor MacCallum Grant and Justice Harris, assembled in

1650-533: The origin of the name Barrington Street is reportedly unclear. One account suggests the street is named after William Barrington, 2nd Viscount Barrington , who served as a Secretary of War but was an "unknown" in 1749 when Halifax was founded. Others say the street name is derived from a misspelling of the Earl of Harrington , the Secretary of State. Barrington Street sits halfway up the slope to Citadel Hill and has long been

1700-678: The police court, policemen's rooms, office of Chief of Police, and jail cells. It was from these jail cells that Harry Houdini escaped in 1896, just six years after City Hall opened. The main or second floor contained the auditor's office, the Board of Works, the City Clerk, the office of the Mayor, the Collector, the City Engineer, and the Treasurer. The third floor was home to the Council Chamber and

1750-463: The provincial government and remains one of the most prominent surface parking lots in the downtown core. Today, Barrington Street stretches the length of the Halifax peninsula. However, the Barrington Street name originally only applied to the length of the street within downtown proper. South of Spring Garden Road, the street was called Pleasant Street. North of downtown (up to North Street), it

1800-451: The retaining wall on Barrington Street was augmented to include a stable. There were also plans to build public toilets south of the stable but these were not proceeded with. Later this undercroft space became a police patrol station that operated until 1952. This space is currently walled off and unused. A new flagpole was installed in preparation for the city's bicentennial commemoration in 1949. The 128 feet (39 m) long Douglas fir log

1850-459: The short distance. Council eventually voted to relocate the councillor parking lot from September 1, 2007 (Streatch successfully argued to delay the deadline from the April 1 cutoff originally proposed). On October 17, 2010, a concrete arch was unveiled as a memorial to peace officers killed in the line of duty. It is inscribed with the names of 21 fallen Nova Scotia peace officers. The Grand Parade

1900-403: The site. A compromise was engineered by the premier, Sir William Young to facilitate a new use for the site. The provincial government provided funding for the university to relocate its facilities and the City of Halifax granted the university a 5-acre (20,000 m ) parcel of land elsewhere in the city to permit the university to expand. The university building was demolished to make way for

1950-729: The south end is St. Paul's Church . In the middle of Grand Parade is the cenotaph built originally to commemorate the soldiers who served in World War I. Centrally located in Downtown Halifax , the square remains an important civic space used for numerous events including musical performances, political demonstrations, the annual New Year's Eve celebrations, Remembrance Day ceremonies, and Christmas tree lighting. The first contingent of British settlers in Halifax arrived in June 1749, and completed 300 houses by October 1749. Lieutenant John Brewse,

2000-426: The square after Queen Victoria as the name Grand Parade bore connotations to a "condition of decay". This was not pursued. A new edifice was designed by Edward Elliot . Demolition of the old college began in 1886. The cornerstone of the new city hall was laid in 1888. Following the completion of the building, Keating completely redesigned the layout of the square to more suitably reflect its new civic role. He built

2050-471: The square by a dry moat to allow light to the lower floors. As the 19th century progressed the Grand Parade deteriorated. Dalhousie claimed to lack the funds to upkeep the space while the city claimed it could not take responsibility for the square without undisputed ownership of it. Meanwhile, city offices and council chambers were located at premises on Water Street described at the time as "a trifle porous", "disreputable looking", and "a dirty hole". In 1872,

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2100-420: The square level. The retaining wall is tall enough to accommodate inhabitable space underneath the square, with frontage on Barrington. This space originally accommodated ice houses for Mrs. Jane Donaldson, a Granville Street merchant. The original building of Dalhousie College (now Dalhousie University ) opened at the north end of the Grand Parade in 1821. It was a Georgian four storey building separated from

2150-551: The street anymore. The construction of the multi-level Cogswell Interchange in 1970 separated Barrington Street into two discontinuous sections; the street now interchanges with itself at this point. That is, a driver heading south toward downtown who exits Barrington at the Cogswell Interchange will wind up on the south section of Barrington Street. Continuing straight through the interchange, Barrington splits into Hollis Street and Lower Water Street. The Cogswell Interchange

2200-404: The town. The plan stipulated a church at one end of the square (opened 1750), and a courthouse and prison at the northern end. However, the north end remained vacant. Shortly after arriving in Halifax, Governor Cornwallis ordered framing from Boston for the construction of a church. The cornerstone for the church was laid on 13 June 1750. It was named St. Paul's in 1759, when a parish of that name

2250-466: Was defeated. On December 14, 2004 council voted against moving councillor parking to the Birk's lot. The matter came up again on January 18, 2005 on a motion to reconsider and the proposal was again voted down. Councillor Steve Streatch was one of the most steadfast opponents of moving car parking to the vacant Birk's site, across the street from city hall, because he favoured the convenience of not having to walk

2300-409: Was established. The building was modeled off Marybone Chapel in London. In 1794, Prince Edward arrived in Halifax to command the military in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. He set about improving the military facilities around the city, and had the Grand Parade leveled to improve its usefulness. As Barrington Street slopes down toward the north of Grand Parade, a retaining wall was built here to keep

2350-422: Was once a short street called St. Paul's Hill that ran directly in front of St. Paul's Church and connected Barrington and Argyle Streets. It was created at the behest of St. Paul's during the renovations to the square after Prince Edward's 1794 arrival. The civic address of the church was 1 St. Paul's Hill. The street was served by a bus in the 20th century. It was closed in 1977-1978 and the land incorporated into

2400-478: Was originally called Lockman Street. The remainder (everything north of North Street) was once called Campbell Road. The area between downtown and the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge changed drastically in the 20th century. In order to serve the bridge, hundreds of properties were demolished in this area and this section of Barrington Street was partially converted into a limited-access highway. No shops front on this section of

2450-448: Was the main public entrance and brought visitors onto the second floor. There were also entrances off of Argyle Street to the second floor, as well as three entrances to the first floor. One door allowed access to the building from the dry moat between the building and Grand Parade. Two doors facing Duke Street provided access to the police station that was located in the first floor until the late 1940s. The first floor originally contained

2500-635: Was transported from British Columbia by the Canadian Pacific Railway to the Bay of Fundy , where it was put aboard a scow and sailed to Digby . It was floated to shore and loaded onto three CPR flatcars, arriving in Halifax on August 4, 1947. The new flagpole was erected by the Royal Canadian Engineers and officially unveiled in September 1947 by Mayor A.E. Ahern and railway officials. There

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