Provincial heritage awards honour Cape Breton home
SYDNEY — What do Halifax City Hall, Province House and a 200-year-old home in Cape Breton have in common?
Each were among the recipients Friday of special awards presented by the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia.
The awards were presented during a ceremony at Halifax City Hall in celebrating the province’s varied history and landscape.
With its hilltop view of the Northumberland Strait, Moidart House in Creignish is among this year’s honourees. Located along Route 19, the stone home is also known as the MacMaster-MacKillop house.
The awards committee singled out the home for the Joyce McCulloch residential heritage award.
The simple one-and-a-half storey stone building was first built over 200 years ago by Iain Ruadh MacMaster and was named after his ancestral home in Scotland.
The committee noted the building has been painstakingly restored which involved significant stone wall repair along with stripping the building of gyproc, layers of wallpaper and other 20th century upgrades.
According to a press release issued Friday by the committee, what was exposed during the renovation was the original stone, hemlock walls, pine ceilings, and spruce floors.
“The conservation of Moidart preserves one of the few examples of immigrant Scottish stone architecture left in Nova Scotia.” stated the committee.
“The heritage awards recognize good practice in heritage conservation,” said awards committee chair, Laura MacNutt.
“The awards celebrate good stewardship of Nova Scotia’s valuable architectural resources, and the craftsmanship to maintain them.”
As well as recognizing buildings, the awards also salute individuals who have significantly contributed to the protection of Nova Scotia’s heritage resources.
The Canadian Naval Memorial Trust was honoured for its commitment to the care and protection of a significant WWII corvette, HMCS Sackville, which is the last of its kind.
Also recognized was semi-retired building inspector Richard Corkum of Kings County who was singled out for his commendable stewardship and understanding of the special needs of heritage buildings.
The province’s historic 19th century Government House, home of the lieutenant governor, and Halifax’s City Hall, were recognized for their heritage importance. The commercial heritage award was presented to the Miller Dermatology Clinic, Colburg Road, Halifax, for the special care taken to restore the exterior work as part of an extensive interior and exterior updating. The careful adaptation to meet new needs sets a standard for other owners in the area interested in preserving their heritage buildings.
The awards were established in 1989 to recognize outstanding conservation work in Nova Scotia.