Cast Iron Façade / Coomb's Old English Shoe Store National Historic Site of Canada
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Facade
(© Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, n.d.)
Address :
1883-1885 Granville Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1981-01-15
Dates:
-
1860 to 1860
(Construction)
Other Name(s):
-
Cast Iron Façade / Coomb's Old English Shoe Store
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
1980-013
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: 1883-1885 Granville Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia
This building, erected in 1860, provides a rare and early example of a full cast iron façade in Canada. Used in construction since the 1770s, cast iron had become a popular decorative material by the mid-19th century because it was durable and easily mass-produced. The classical details of the upper storeys illustrate its sculptural potential. The façade was designed and manufactured by the Architectural Iron Works of New York City. Founded by Daniel Badger, this firm shipped building parts across the continent and emerged as the major promoter of cast iron architecture in North America.
Description of Historic Place
The Cast Iron Façade / Coombs Old English Shoe Store is a mid-19th-century commercial building with a cast-iron facade. It is located in the Granville Street area of downtown Halifax. The Coombs building forms part of a block of historically and architecturally significant commercial buildings. The formal recognition consists of the building on its property at the time of recognition.
Heritage Value
The Cast Iron Façade / Coombs Old English Shoe Store was designated a national historic site in 1980 because it provides a rare and early example of a full, cast-iron facade in Canada.
Built in 1860, the Coomb's building is one of the first cast-iron-front structures constructed in Canada and the only building in Halifax known to have a facade composed entirely of cast iron. The four-storey facade was designed and manufactured by the Architectural Iron Works of New York City, a major supplier and promoter of cast iron architecture in North America.
Sources: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minute, June 1980
Character-Defining Elements
The key elements that relate to the heritage value of the Cast Iron Façade / Coombs Old English Shoe Store include: its cast-iron facade, extending the full, four-storey height of the building; the distinctive white colour of the façade; the Italianate detailing and fenestration of the façade, illustrating the sculptural potential of cast iron, including: a large, semi-circular window opening extending the full width of the façade at the second storey; and three, large, arched window openings separated by Corinthian columns on each of the third and fourth storeys; the building's construction, whereby the iron front is attached by rods to solid brick side walls.