Description of Historic Place

The Allan R. Morash house is located on a large, flat, treed lot at the corner of Kaulbach and York Streets in the Old Town Heritage Conservation District, in Lunenburg, NS. It is a large, two-storey house with clapboard cladding and prominent dormers, including a central ‘Lunenburg bump,’ and is set well back from the street. Designation covers the building and surrounding property.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Allan R. Morash House lies in its architecture, which is an excellent example of late nineteenth century Lunenburg vernacular architecture, and its builders, John and Joseph Morash. The prominent architectural features of the house lend it a sense of grandeur, and make it a Lunenburg landmark. The most striking elements of the Morash House are the large, symmetrical, overhanging window dormers and 'Lunenburg bump', each with triple bellcast roofs, that in combination create a unique conglomeration of Italianate and Oriental influences.

The builders of this home, brothers John and Joseph Morash, were master carpenters and built much of Lunenburg's late nineteenth century architecture. They were also cousins of the first owner, (Allan R. Morash), who eventually became the Mayor of Lunenburg, and they used this opportunity to build a home that showcased their talents.

Source: Heritage Designation File 66400-40-43, Town of Lunenburg.

Character-Defining Elements

Character-Defining elements of the Alan R. Morash house relate to its status as a landmark example of Lunenburg architecture displaying Italianate and Oriental influences and include:

- form and massing of the house, with three prominent projecting bays, superimposed on a tall, gable roofed house of massive but simple form;
- tall, central bay (Lunenburg bump), incorporating the main entrance and illuminating the interior. It consists of a two storey, rectangular lower section, a slightly receding, five-sided dormer on the third storey and a two-tiered bell cast roof;
- two broad bay windows that have been elevated to the second storey, and project up through the eaves, capped with unusual three-tiered rooves, giving a 'pagoda' effect;
- setback from the streetline, with a straight path leading to the front entrance, and a large yard surrounding the house;
- Italianate transom and sidelight windows surrounding the double-hung front door, mouldings over the transom windows with ball pendants at each terminus, and a small front step, which allows for the façade elements to be seen unobstructed;
- clapboard cladding, and decorated cornerboards which meet a dentilled course and bracketting under the eaves;
- dentilled lintels over the two-over-two windows, and a three-sided bay window on the west side that also has dentilled lintels and a flared roof with an overhang, and a two part mullion window on the second storey, with the same mouldings and pendants as the main door;
- rear corner three-storey tower, with unusual attic windows, and a small sample of tracery on a rear window made to look like a spider's web.