The Heritage Trust is pleased to announce that it is resuming our popular lecture series. The 2025 theme is: The State of Heritage Buildings: Lost, At Risk, and Saved.
Admission to all of our lectures is free for members and a suggested donation of $5.00 for non-members. Click here to become a member or renew your membership and support built heritage in Nova Scotia.
Entrance to the auditorium is through the side doors on the south side of the Museum of Natural History in Halifax.
An Evening with Restoration Architect Graeme Duffus, NSAA FRAIC (retired)
Join us as Graeme Duffus recalls his experience working on three important buildings in Halifax in the past two decades: Keith Hall, Power Cottage and HRM City Hall. These iconic buildings have been given new life through careful restoration and the commitment of the owners. Graeme will describe some of the challenges and surprises encountered in restoring these buildings, showing what was required to allow them to grace our city for another century and beyond.
Keith Hall - pre-Confederation home of Alexander Keith, one-time mayor of Halifax and founder of Alexander Keith’s brewery. Completed in 2014, restoration included the reconstruction of the entire façade including new carvings modelled on the originals. Winner of a 2014 Lieutenant Governor’s Design Award in Architecture. Power Cottage - Dating from 1902 and prominently situated at the corner of South Park and Sackville Streets, Power Cottage was the residence of the Superintendent of the Halifax Public Gardens, James Power. Asbestos and mold in the walls required extensive work to remediate, while at the same time remove layers of accumulated design changes, restore the original design, and bring the building up to code. Winner of a 2016 Lieutenant Governor’s Design Award in Architecture. Halifax City Hall - Coompleted in 1890 after three years of labour, by 2011 City Hall was in serious need of repair and upgrade. Graeme Duffus oversaw the multi-year restoration process which lasted nearly a decade. This included repairs and restoration to both the interior and exterior of the building allowing to continue its function as the seat of municipal government in the twenty-first century.
This promises to be a fascinating talk, and is not to be missed.