Description of Historic Place

Pryor-Binney House is a two-and-a-half storey Halifax House located on Morris Street between Barrington and Hollis Streets in the South End of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The house complements other houses on the street and in the neighbourhood. Today, this registered heritage building is one of three structures that operate as the Halliburton House Inn. The heritage designation applies to the building and the surrounding land it occupies.

Heritage Value

Pryor-Binney House is valued for its association with its original occupants. Built in 1831, it is named for William Pryor Jr. and Hibbert Newton Binney. Pryor he sold the lot and house in 1834 to the Honourable Hibbert Binney. The Binney’s were members of a New England family who came to Halifax in 1753. Hibbert Binney was a Collector of Customs and Excise of Halifax, Town Magistrate, and later became member of His Majesty’s Council in 1820. Binney lived here until his death in 1842.

Architecturally, the Pryor-Binney House is valued as an example of the Halifax House style, a term that has been locally accepted and applied to a style of home that was common between 1820 and 1900 in Halifax. The Pryor-Binney House exhibits many of the accepted traits of this style including a symmetrical three bay façade with a side hall plan and is deep from front to back.; and have steeply pitched gable roofs with dormer windows. The Pryor-Binney House exhibits all of these elements. A Halifax House usually has a smooth stone surface; however Pryor-Binney House is sheathed in wood clapboard with corner trim. The Pryor-Binney House set the model for the development of the lower part of Morris Street. The house is similar in form, massing and style to many residential buildings in the neighbourhood, including the adjacent Lithgow House, also a municipally designated property.

Source: HRM Heritage Property File: 5178 Morris Street, Pryor-Binney House, found at HRM Planning and Development Services, Heritage Property Program, 6960 Mumford Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of Pryor-Binney House relate to its Halifax House style and include:

- three bay façade;
- side hall plan;
- deep from front to back;
- steeply pitched gable roof;
- central Scottish dormer;
- entrance with large transom light;
- wooden entablature and pilasters surrounds entrance;
- flat headed hooded windows with brackets on first storey;
- all windows surrounded by wooden trim;
- wood clapboard with corner trim.