Dennis Building

Last updated
Dennis Building
Dennis Building
Former namesKenny building
Alternative namesKenny-Dennis Building
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeOffice building
Architectural style Georgian architecture (1841)
Victorian architecture (1863 )
Edwardian architecture (1912)
Address1740 Granville Street
Town or city Halifax, Nova Scotia
Country Canada
Coordinates 44°38′56″N63°34′27″W / 44.6488°N 63.5741°W / 44.6488; -63.5741
Construction started1841
Completed1863
Renovated1863, 1912
Owner Government of Nova Scotia
Design and construction
Architect(s) David Stirling (1863)
Henry David Jost (1912) [1]
Architecture firm
TypeProvincially Registered Property
Designated2018

The Dennis Building, also known as the Kenny-Dennis Building is a historic building in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a registered heritage property.

Contents

History

Situated at 1740 Granville Street, it is across from the Province House in downtown Halifax in the province of Nova Scotia. [2]

Kenny Building

Initially known as the Kenny Building, it was named after Thomas and Edward Kenny's early venture as dry goods merchants on George and Granville Streets. [3] Construction on the building began in 1841, with the initial design featuring a two-and-a-half-storey Georgian stone warehouse and a hipped roof. [1] The building was redeveloped in 1863 to house the dry goods firm T. & E. Kenny, owned by the brothers. [4] During this period, the Scottish-born architect David Stirling was tasked with planning the building's redevelopment, while George Blaiklock handled the construction. [1]

Edward Kenny, together with his son, later established the Merchants' Bank of Halifax in 1901, a precursor to the Royal Bank of Canada. [1]

Dennis Building

The property was acquired in 1900 by William Dennis, owner of the Halifax Herald , when T. & E. Kenny, Wholesale Goods, moved locations. [5] The building was renovated with offices to serve as the headquarters for the Herald, a Halifax newspaper company, under the ownership of Dennis. [2]

The Halifax & Bermudas Cable Company had a prominent position in the upper floors of the Dennis Building. [6] The Dennis Building connected to the Canadian Pacific Railway's telegraph system, providing communication across Canada. A dedicated landline linked it directly to Bamfield, Vancouver, the Pacific Cable's terminus for Australia and New Zealand, and also connected to a cable reaching the West Indies via Bermuda. All these lines operated from the Dennis Building. [7]

Fire

Nearly destroyed by fire in 1912, the Dennis building was extensively damaged. Architect Henry David Jost was commissioned to restore the interior and add three new floors. [5] The new additions were constructed by Samuel Brookfield under the design plans of Jost. [1] Neighboring buildings at the intersection of Barrington and George underwent reconstruction. [8]

In 1913, the building's lessor, Dennis Realty Corporation, leased the top floor of the Dennis building to The Department of Militia and Defence. [9] The building became the home office of The Trinidad Electric Co by 1927. [10] After The Herald moved, the Halifax Dennis Building was acquired and repurposed by the Government of Nova Scotia as office space for provincial government employees. [5]

Present day

Registered as a heritage property in 2018, the Kenny-Dennis building's designation followed a third-party application opposed at first by the provincial government. [11]

Architecture

Initially constructed in 1841, the original structure was designed in the Georgian architecture style. When David Stirling redeveloped it in 1863, he introduced elements of Victorian architecture. Stirling designed the first four storeys. The later redevelopment by George Henry Jost in 1912 saw the Dennis building transformed with Edwardian architecture elements. Jost was responsible for adding the top three storeys to the four-storey structure. [1] Each renovation added a layer of architectural history.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NSCAD University</span> Public art school in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

NSCAD University, also known as the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD), is a public art university in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university is a co-educational institution that offers bachelor's and master's degrees. The university also provides continuing education services through its School of Extended Studies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spryfield</span> Suburban Community in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Spryfield is community within the urban area of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Province House (Nova Scotia)</span> Nova Scotian legislative assembly building, Canada

Province House in Halifax is where the Nova Scotia legislative assembly, known officially as the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, has met every year since 1819, making it the longest serving legislative building in Canada. The building is Canada's oldest house of government. Standing three storeys tall, the structure is considered one of the finest examples of Palladian architecture in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Halifax</span> Downtown Area in Nova Scotia, Canada

Downtown Halifax is the primary central business district of the Municipality of Halifax. Located on the central-eastern portion of the Halifax Peninsula, on Halifax Harbour. Along with Downtown Dartmouth, and other de facto central business districts within the Municipality, Downtown Halifax serves as the business, entertainment, and tourism hub of the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scotia Square</span> Building complex in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Scotia Square is a commercial development in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was built from the late 1960s to late 1970s and is managed by Crombie REIT.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bank of Commerce (Halifax, Nova Scotia)</span> Office building in Halifax, Nova Scotia

The Bank of Commerce Building, also known as the CIBC Building, is a high-rise office building in the downtown core of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is located on Barrington Street and is owned and operated by Crombie REIT. The office tower stands at 66 metres and has 16 floors. It was completed in 1977. The building is connected to the Downtown Halifax Link system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydrostone</span> Neighbourhood in Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada

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, Isleville Street to the west and Novalea Drive to the east. The Hydrostone District has about 9.3 ha of landmass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Granville Mall, Halifax</span> Pedestrian mall in Halifax, Canada

Granville Mall is a pedestrian mall located in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was formerly part of Granville Street, until nearby developments, such as the Cogswell Interchange, and Scotia Square, rendered this section traffic-wise and it was converted into a pedestrian mall. The buildings lining the street house a large variety of pubs and stores, and also part of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. The nearby Halifax Harbour contributed significantly to the thriving trade activity along the street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art Gallery of Nova Scotia</span> Art museum in Nova Scotia, Canada

The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (AGNS) is a public provincial art museum based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The art museum's primary building complex is located in downtown Halifax and takes up approximately 6,200 square metres (67,000 sq ft) of space. The museum complex comprises the former Dominion building and two floors of the adjacent Provincial building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texpark site</span> Vacant lot in Halifax, Canada

The Texpark site is a prominent vacant lot in Downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Coast, a weekly newspaper, has called it "downtown's biggest gaping hole" and an "embarrassing missing tooth" in the urban fabric. Much of the site was once home to the Texpark, a city-owned parking garage, demolished in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halifax City Hall</span> Historic building in Nova Scotia, Canada

Halifax City Hall is the home of municipal government in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Designed by architect Edward Elliot, and constructed for the City of Halifax between 1887 and 1890, it is one of the oldest and largest public buildings in Nova Scotia. The property was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sambro Island Light</span> Lighthouse

Sambro Island Lighthouse is a landfall lighthouse located at the entrance to Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia, on an island near the community of Sambro in the Halifax Regional Municipality. It is the oldest surviving lighthouse in North America and its construction is a National Historic Event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RBC Waterside Centre</span> Building in Halifax, Canada

The RBC Waterside Centre is a commercial development in the downtown core of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada built by local real estate developer Armour Group. The project involves demolishing six heritage buildings and replacing them with a nine storey retail and office building, clad at ground level with the reconstructed facades of most of the former heritage buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince of Wales Tower</span>

The Prince of Wales Tower is the oldest martello tower in North America and is located in Point Pleasant Park, Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was built in 1796 by Captain James Straton and was used as a redoubt and a powder magazine. Restored, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1943.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry House (Halifax, Nova Scotia)</span> House in Halifax, Nova Scotia

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia</span>

The Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia is a non-profit society dedicated to the advocacy for and conservation of Nova Scotia's architectural and cultural heritage. It was founded in 1959, "in response to the proposed demolition of Enos Collins's Halifax House Gorsebrook," a Georgian-style home that once stood on the present site of Saint Mary's University hockey rink. The Trust has advocated for and assisted in the conservation of numerous heritage buildings and districts in Nova Scotia. Notable examples include The Carleton, Morris House, and Historic Properties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Fillmore</span> Canadian Liberal politician

Andy Fillmore is a Canadian politician who has been the mayor of the Halifax Regional Municipality since November 5, 2024. He previously served as a Liberal Party of Canada Member of Parliament for the riding of Halifax from 2015 until 2024.

John Henry Barnstead was a Canadian tanner, barrister and the Registrar of Vital Statistics in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. In 1912, at age 67, Barnstead coordinated the retrieval, cataloguing, and burial of RMS Titanic victims, devising a system of cataloguing mass disaster remains that is still in use.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Denty, K. & Heritage Advisory Committee. (2018, September). Heritage Advisory Committee Report. Retrieved from https://cdn.halifax.ca/sites/default/files/documents/city-hall/boards-committees-commissions/180926hac92.pdf
  2. 1 2 Heritage group fights for Halifax’s Dennis Building. (2014, July 8). CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/heritage-group-fights-for-halifax-s-dennis-building-1.2699965
  3. ↑ Akins, T. B. (1895). History of Halifax City. Canada: (n.p.).
  4. ↑ Stoddard, I., Halifax Regional Council, Perusse, D., & Denty, K. (2018). Case H00462: Request to Include the Kenny-Dennis Building at 1740 Granville Street, Halifax, in the Registry of Heritage Property for the Halifax Regional Municipality. In Halifax Regional Council [Report]. https://cdn.halifax.ca/sites/default/files/documents/city-hall/regional-council/181016rc1431.pdf (Original work published 2018)
  5. 1 2 3 Dennis Building. (n.d.). The National Trust for Canada. https://archive.nationaltrustcanada.ca/issues-campaigns/top-ten-endangered/explore-past-listings/nova-scotia/dennis-building
  6. ↑ Bird, M., Bird, M. J. (2012). The Town That Died: The Story of the World's Greatest Man-Made Explosion Before Hiroshima. United Kingdom: Profile.
  7. ↑ Board of Trade Journal. (1921). United Kingdom: H.M. Stationery Office.
  8. ↑ Denty, K., Dubé, J., Heritage Advisory Committee, Fathom Studios, & Dexel Developments. (2020). Substantial Alteration to municipally registered heritage properties at 1724 and 1740 Granville Street, Halifax. In Heritage Advisory Committee [Report]. https://cdn.halifax.ca/sites/default/files/documents/city-hall/boards-committees-commissions/200528hac911.pdf (Original work published 2020)
  9. ↑ Report of the Minister of Public Works on the Works Under His Control. (1915). Canada: Public Works Canada = Travaux publics Canada.
  10. ↑ The Trinidad and Tobago Yearbook. (1927). Trinidad and Tobago: (n.p.).
  11. ↑ Woodford, Z., & Woodford, Z. (2022, October 21). Developer’s plans approved for historic downtown Halifax block. Halifax Examiner. https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/government/city-hall/developers-plans-approved-for-historic-downtown-halifax-block/
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.