Richmond was a Canadian urban neighbourhood comprising part of the
North End of the
Halifax Peninsula
The Halifax Peninsula is peninsula within the urban area of the Municipality of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
History
The town of Halifax was founded by the British government under the direction of the Board of Trade and Plantations under the c ...
in
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
's
Halifax Regional Municipality
Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...
.
History
Formerly a separately incorporated part of
Halifax County, the village of Richmond grew north of North Street, the traditional dividing line with the
City of Halifax's original North End. Located on the western shore of The Narrows of
Halifax Harbour
Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Halifax largely owes its existence to the harbour, being one of the largest and deepest ice-free natural harbo ...
, Richmond soon industrialized after the
Nova Scotia Railway
The Nova Scotia Railway is a historic Canadian railway. It was composed of two lines, one connecting Richmond (immediately north of Halifax) with Windsor, the other connecting Richmond with Pictou Landing via Truro.
The railway was incorpo ...
built along the shore to serve the navy dockyard and various shipping piers and warehouses.
Richmond was amalgamated into the City of Halifax during the late 19th century and its traditional boundary was blurred as the area became absorbed into the expanding North End.
Richmond was devastated on December 6, 1917 when the
Halifax Explosion
On the morning of 6 December 1917, the French cargo ship collided with the Norwegian vessel in the waters of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The ''Mont-Blanc'', laden with high explosives, caught fire and exploded, devastating the Richmond ...
levelled much of its structures and waterfront. The rising slope of Fort Needham protected some areas from the immediate effects of the shock wave. The Halifax Relief Commission, formed by an order-in-council on 22 January 1918, was subsequently incorporated and given broader powers as a result of an act passed by the Nova Scotia Legislature. Aside from its mandate to compensate victims of the explosion, the $21,000,000 donated by various governments and the public would be used to rebuild the devastated areas as the commission saw fit. Thomas Adams, a renowned town planner and his assistant, H. L. Seymour were called upon to plan the reconstruction and were later joined by architect George Ross of Montreal. The rebuilt area, formerly called Merkelsfield, is now known as
The Hydrostone
Hydrostone is a neighbourhood in the North End of the Halifax Peninsula in the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. It consists of ten short parallel streets and is bordered by Duffus Street to the north, Young Street to the south, ...
District because of the use of a stone-faced concrete material known as hydrostone for the exterior building material. Timber and stucco were used for roofing materials. Although most of the work was carried out by the firm of Ross and Macdonald, several local architects were also awarded projects. Most of the work was completed by 1921.
References
{{Coord, 44, 39, 59.7, N, 63, 35, 54.7, W, display=title
Communities in Halifax, Nova Scotia