Description of Historic Place

The Henry Neil Property, built in 1826, is located in a block of shops between King and Duke Streets in Old Town Lunenburg, NS. The building is a two-storey wooden structure, built right to the streetline, and it is one in a row of related buildings. Presently, the building is occupied by Lunenburg Hardware. The property is located within a designated heritage district and municipal designation includes the building and surrounding land.

Heritage Value

The Henry Neil property is considered to have heritage value due to its age, architecture and contribution to the surrounding heritage streetscape. The building is mentioned in early deeds, dating back to 1827. In 1835, the property was sold to Henry Neil, a mariner, who had the property until 1880. It then passed into the hands of several owners, and it has been used as a dry goods store and grocery, a tailor shop, a meat market, and at present it is a hardware store.

The building is typical of nineteenth century buildings in Lunenburg's commercial district. It was originally two shops, with accommodations for the owners on the second floor. It has a simple balanced façade following the slope of the street, with symmetrically placed windows, except for one that has been modified for air-conditioning. Along with other Lincoln Street façades, the Henry Neil property has been built right to the streetline, giving it a sense of openness. Multiple rear additions are the result of the many commercial uses of the building since the early nineteenth century.

Source: Notice of Recommendation to Register as a Town Heritage Property, Heritage Designation File 66400-40-, Town of Lunenburg.

Character-Defining Elements

Character-defining elements of the Henry Neil Property consist of elements that are typical of nineteenth century commercial buildings in Lunenburg, including:

- all elements composing the two-storey, balanced façade, that blends in well with neighbouring buildings that have matching streetlines and similar height and width, clapboard cladding with endboards, and four-over-four windows on the front façade, located tight under the eaves;
- all elements relating to the nineteenth century commercial use of the building, including a medium sloping saltbox roof, with similar slopes (both shed and gable) on rear additions to the building, and two front entranceways, a reminder that the building was once two separate shops.