Description of Historic Place

The Caldwell House is a one and one half storey Regency style house located on Robie Street, a prominent street in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Built in the early 1840’s the Caldwell House has a low-pitched hip roof with four three sided dormers on each of its sides. There is also a veranda that wraps around the entire perimeter of the house. Both the house and its surrounding property are included in the designation.

Heritage Value

The Caldwell House is valued for its association with William Caldwell, the eleventh mayor of Halifax and the first mayor to be elected by direct vote, and for its Regency style architecture.

William Caldwell was a blacksmith by trade who became a fairly prominent businessman in Halifax. He was also an active member of the Halifax Fire Engine Company for twenty-five years and for six of those years he was captain. In 1841 the City of Halifax was incorporated and nine years later Caldwell was elected mayor by direct vote, the first mayor to be elected in this manner. Prior to Caldwell’s election, the mayor was elected directly elected council. He served his one year term, as all mayors before him, from 1850-1851.

The Caldwell House is also valued as a rare example of the Regency style in Nova Scotia. Built in the early 1840’s, the house had sufficient property to be considered a small estate. The house was built in an area known as Camp Hill, and thus Caldwell named his home Camp Hill Cottage. Camp Hill was once land used by the military that was given to the City for use as a protestant cemetery, the Camp Hill Cemetery that was established in 1844. The one-and-one-half storey house has a low-pitched hipped roof that extends over a wide veranda, which in-turn runs along the entire perimeter of the building. There are three-sided dormers located on each of the four sides of the roof and twelve fluted Doric columns evenly spaced around the perimeter of the veranda. The main façade of the building is symmetrical with a large paned window on either side of the main door with transom and sidelights. One of the windows in the center of the south side is painted completely black to hide the presence of a sliding door that divides the two south rooms.

Source: Notice of Registration of Property as a Provincial Heritage Property, Provincial Property Heritage File no. 125.

Character-Defining Elements

Character-defining elements of the Caldwell House include:

- cornice and frieze incorporating triglyphs;
- wood relief details on underside of roof;
- double stone foundation;
- blackened out window on south façade.

Character-defining elements of the Regency style of the Caldwell House include:

- one-and-a-half storeys, symmetrical three bay façade;
- low-pitched hip roof;
- roof extends over a wide veranda with twelve fluted Doric columns;
- four dormers facing each of the four directions;
- central doorway with transom window and sidelights;
- large first floor windows.