Description of Historic Place

The R.O. McCurdy House is a one and one-half storey Tudor style wood frame dwelling located at 114 Willow Street in Truro, NS. Constructed in 1935, the house is situated in a wooded setting well back from the street, and features a steeply-pitched roof and front gable, and stucco walls decorated with false half-timbering. The heritage designation includes the building and surrounding property.

Heritage Value

Historic Value

The R.O. McCurdy House is valued for its association with hotel and restaurant owner Robert O. McCurdy, a son of builder Frank C. McCurdy and grandson of builder Robert O. McCurdy. Frank McCurdy built this house for his son beside his own house at 102 Willow Street.

The site itself is also valued for its long association with the family of Alexander Miller, who was among the first famililes to arrive in the Township in 1759 to lay out the lots for the main body of settlers the who followed the next year.

Architectural Value

The R.O. McCurdy House with its large massing and dominant front cross gable has been valued as a Truro landmark ever since its construction in 1935. Houses of the Tudor style are rare in Nova Scotia outside of Halifax, and the setting in which this example is placed makes it quite unique.

Source: Planning Department, Town of Truro, file 10MNS0045

Character-Defining Elements

Character-Defining Elements of the R.O. McCurdy House include:

- all Tudor building and style elements, including: basic form and massing; steeply-pitched side-gable roof and lower cross gable, and a truncated hip-roof extension at the rear; a single hip-roofed dormer on the front roof, and two on the rear; heavy cornices at the roof-wall junction; chimney prominently placed on the roof ridge; hip-roofed open porch on the south side, supported on two sides by a low wall and spindles; false half-timbering on the façade;
- all original or historic window and door elements, including: multi-paned casement windows on the façade, one set with shutters; multi-paned sashed windows elsewhere; narrow windows in the end and cross gables; contrasting window and door surrounds and sills;
- all original or historic building materials, including: shingle cladding on the upper surfaces; stucco covered wood in the lower wall surfaces;
- all original or historic site elements, including: placement on a raised lawn at a generous setback from the street; tree-lined brook on the south boundary; mature trees bounding the property.