The Charles Macdonald Concrete House is a two-storey residential structure located in Centreville, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was built entirely out of reinforced concrete in 1910 by Charles Macdonald, a local folk artist and owner of a cement brick factory. [1]
Charles Macdonald was born April 5, 1874, in Centreville, a small rural community located in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. Macdonald learned basic carpentry skills while working at local industries - including a coffin factory and a carriage factory - and during his tenure as a ships carpenter between 1898 and 1908. [2] During a four-month voyage to Brazil, Macdonald became interested in the local architecture, which included compact Spanish blockhouses. [3]
Macdonald resided in Vancouver from 1908 to 1910 where he joined the Socialist Party of Canada. Macdonald returned to Nova Scotia in 1910, and established his company, Kentville Concrete, operating the business according to his Socialist philosophy. [4] In 1916 Macdonald married Mabel Misner and converted the one-storey concrete factory into a two-storey residence, relocating the factory to nearby Brooklyn Street.
The interior of the house makes extensive use of concrete, including the central hearth adorned with bas-relief paintings, the stairs, and the bathtub. Exterior elements include a concrete fence, concrete garden sculptures, and decorative concrete animals. [5]
Macdonald died May 28, 1967, leaving the concrete home in the care of the community of Centreville, Kings County. By 1995 the property was in disrepair and a local active heritage enthusiast collected funds in order to purchase the house from the town. The Charles Macdonald House of Centreville Society has managed the property since then.
Today the house is a seasonally operated, free entry museum which features the artwork of Charles Macdonald, and rugs hooked by his wife Mabel. [6]
The Charles Macdonald Concrete House was declared a Provincially Registered Heritage Property in 1998. [1]
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, and facing a lull in customers, Macdonald embarked on a building project in nearby Huntington Point, constructing five concrete cottages overlooking the Bay of Fundy between 1934 and 1938. These brightly painted, highly whimsical structures have been described as "the sort of cottages in which Snow White and her seven dwarfs might have lived". [7] Macdonald and his wife retained one cottage for themselves, and the others were rented until Macdonald befriended prospective buyers whom he trusted enough to care for them properly.
Four of the cottages survive today: the Green Cottage, the Jefferson Cottage, the Blue Cottage and the Macdonald Cottage. The fifth, called the Teapot Cottage, was destroyed by the owners in 1982.
The Blue Cottage was declared a Provincially Registered Heritage Property in 1998. [8]
Sackville is a former town in southeastern New Brunswick, Canada. It held town status prior to 2023 and is now part of the town of Tantramar.
Events from the year 1867 in Canada.
Middleton is a town in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Situated on the north bank of the Annapolis River, it is located close to the centre of the Annapolis Valley, from which it gets its nickname, "The Heart of the Valley".
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Centreville is a rural farming community in Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada, located 10 kilometres north of Kentville on Route 359. As of 2021, the population was 1,159. Route 309 and Route 221 cross at the settlement. The village was once a junction on the Cornwallis Valley Railway branchline of the Dominion Atlantic Railway.
Mary Helen Creighton, CM was a prominent Canadian folklorist. She collected over 4,000 traditional songs, stories, and beliefs in a career that spanned several decades, and she published many books and articles on Nova Scotia folk songs and folklore. She received numerous honorary degrees for her work and was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1976.
Centreville is a small community on Cape Sable Island in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in the Municipality of the District of Barrington of Shelburne County.
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Gilbert H. Grosvenor Hall is a historic building in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, Canada. The 19th-century building has served as a post office, library, and interpretive centre.
The Telegraph House is a historic hotel located in Baddeck, Nova Scotia.
Covenanter's Church is a New England meeting house style structure located in Grand Pré, Nova Scotia, and is the oldest extant Presbyterian Church in Canada. The meeting house was constructed between 1804 and 1811, with the tower, belfry, and steeple being added in 1818.
The Heritage Property Act is a provincial statute which allows for the identification, protection and rehabilitation of cultural heritage properties in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada.
Henry House is a two-and-a-half-storey stone house located on Barrington Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The house is designated a National Historic Site, and is both a Provincially Registered Property and a Municipally Registered Property under the provincial Heritage Property Act.
The Bailey House in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Canada is a historic house built around 1770, making it one of the oldest wood frame houses in Canada. It has been operating as a lodging, with interruptions, since at least 1837. The building is a Georgian style and is largely unaltered since its original construction. The house is part of the Annapolis Royal Historic District.
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