Halifax Armoury

Halifax Armoury

The Halifax Armoury overlooking Halifax Common
General information
Type Drill Hall / armoury
Architectural style Romanesque Revival Style
Location Halifax Nova Scotia Canada
Address 2667 North Park Street
Current tenants 1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery Regiment, The Princess Louise Fusiliers, 33 (Halifax) Field Ambulance
Construction started 1895
Completed 1899
Owner Canadian Forces
Design and construction
Architect

Thomas Fuller, Chief Dominion Architect

Official name Halifax Drill Hall National Historic Site of Canada
Designated 1989

The Halifax Armoury is a prominent and historic structure in central Halifax Nova Scotia. The armoury is currently the home base of 1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery Regiment, The Princess Louise Fusiliers, and several other reserve units. The building remains an active military structure.

Architecture

The armoury was designed in 1895 by Chief Dominion Architect Thomas Fuller, and was opened the next year and work on the structure was completed in 1899. While the exterior is based on a medieval castle, it was actually one of the most advanced structures of its day. It was pioneering in its use of a series of Fink trusses to create a large interior space with no columns or walls, and is today the oldest surviving example of a such a building. It was also one of the first buildings in Halifax to be lit by electricity.

M4A3E8(76)W "Easy Eight" outside the Halifax Armoury
Detail of the Cunard Street facade

History

It has played an important part in many Canadian wars, being an important transit point for soldiers before departing by ship for the Boer War and both World Wars. After the Halifax Explosion the armoury provided shelter for many who had lost their homes.

The building was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1989.[1] In 1991, it was designated a Classified Federal Heritage Building.[2]

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Halifax Armoury.
  1. ↑ Halifax Armoury. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  2. ↑ Halifax Armoury. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 9 February 2012.

Coordinates: 44°39′6.4″N 63°35′13.1″W / 44.651778°N 63.586972°W / 44.651778; -63.586972

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