The Halifax Box House in Dartmouth

For 40 years, one style of house dominated all new home construction in Halifax and surrounding communities. The hundreds of “Halifax Box” houses that line our streets today are the legacy of a late-1800s building boom driven by a sea change in technology, construction, real estate, and human settlement.Why were homes built in this style, and what are the defining features? Why is this style so common in the Halifax area, but not other Maritime towns and cities? And what does it say about us, that our most plentiful historic house style has no widely known name? (“saltbox” isn’t it) Join Darksider Maura Donovan to learn about the humble Halifax Box and the distinct features of the Dartmouth version. See a rent-to-own workers’ housing community where almost every 1890s Box House is still standing - Explosion survivors all. And if you want to know if a house in your own life is a Halifax Box, bring along a photo and find out.

Staring Location: Grassy area at the corner of Lyle & Fairbanks (across from 93 Fairbanks St.)
End Location: Victoria Park playground, Pelzant Street

Accessibility Notes: This walk will be just 800m long. We’ll be walking on sidewalks, sometimes uphill. We will end with historical info and questions at the Victoria Park playground, where plenty of backless bench seating is available. There are no public washrooms en route.

You may also like the following events from Jane's Walk * Halifax:

• Next Saturday, 3rd May, 02:00 pm, Explore the Murals of Quinpool Road in Halifax
• Next Sunday, 4th May, 09:30 am, Kidical Mass Halifax Waterfront Ride in Halifax
• Next Sunday, 4th May, 10:00 am, Beginning of Democracy in the City of Halifax in Halifax