Description of Historic Place

The West-Webster House is a two-and-one-half storey, Gothic Revival brick house with elements of the Second Empire style, such as a mansard roof and truncated dormers. Built in 1874, the house is located on Brunswick Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia and was the first of two buildings built of similar design. Both the house and its surrounding property are included in the provincial designation.

Heritage Value

The West-Webster House is valued as an important example of the Gothic Revival style in brick masonry in Nova Scotia. Built in 1874, the combination of the style and method of construction of the West-Webster House is rare in Nova Scotia. The two-and-one-half storey house is constructed of brick and topped with a Second Empire style mansard roof. The second storey façade has a window arcade with pointed arches and wooden tracery. The house has a prominent front entrance with a pointed arch transom above the door.

The West-Webster House is also valued because of its contribution to the heritage character of Brunswick Street. The house was the first of two houses built in similar design, the other being West-Osler and West-Buley Houses (townhouse). Both are of brick masonry construction with the exact characteristics carried throughout both houses, including the prominent front entrance, the truncated dormer windows, the pointed arch windows and the three-sided bay window. The second house, the double house, is mirror imaged on either side. With the revival of Brunswick Street in the late 1980s, the West-Webster House, the West-Osler House and the townhouse have become important buildings in this process. They are critical to retaining the area’s heritage character, which is essentially the inspiration for the revitalization of the street.

Source: Notice of Registration of Property as a Provincial Heritage Property, Provincial Property Heritage File no. 214.

Character-Defining Elements

Character-defining elements of the West-Webster House include:

- brick masonry;
- three sided bay window with two-over-two windows on first storey;
- dormers with two-over-two windows.

Character-defining elements of the Gothic Revival style of the West Webster House include:

- second floor window arcade with pointed arches and wooden tracery;
- prominent front entrance with pointed arch transom.

Character-defining elements of the Second Empire style of the West Webster House include:

- mansard roof;
- truncated dormers;
- brackets beneath the eaves.