Halifax UrbEx

01 February 2011

HMCS Cormorant

Former Canadian Forces diving support vessel docked at Bridgewater, NS. Purchased in 1975 and commissioned in 1978, the vessel remained in service until it was decommissioned in 1997. After some time in Shelburne, NS, the Cormorant was brought to Bridgewater in 2002.

As of January 2011, the ship remains in Bridgewater, NS.

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26 January 2011

Georges Island & NS Power Lower Water Street Relocation

Just a quick update today with three photos from downtown Halifax.

This first is Georges Island. I've blogged about Georges several in the past and had the opportunity to visit the island drumlin in June 2008.

Some background on Georges Island...

The island was first fortified in 1750, shortly after Halifax was founded in 1749. During the Acadien Explusion from 1755 through 1763, those facing deportation were kept on the island, which doubled as a prison.

Defenses on the island were strengthened during the American Revolution, throughout the 1790s, and again during the War of 1812 and American Civil War. After 1850, with advances in technology, the fort was again overhauled, building the modern Fort Charlotte on the island.

Georges Island played a small role in Halifax's defense during both World Wars I and II, notably anchoring a submarine net protecting the inner harbour during World War 1 and housing an anti-aircraft unit throughout World War 2. Military service on the island ended with the war and it was declared a National Historic Site of Canada some twenty years later.

Unfortunately, Georges Island is not normally open to the public. Parks Canada continues to work to restore the island to allow public visitation in the future.

Source: Parks Canada - Georges Island National Historic Site of Canada

Nova Scotia Power's relocation to a former Lower Water Street generating station pushes on. The building's exterior appears mostly complete and the interior has some lighting. The power corporation plans to move into this location in the Spring of this year.

The utility boasts that the redeveloped building will reduce it's environmental footprint. The building's list of key features includes (among many others) LEED platinum certification, sea-water heating, rainwater irrigation, and the glass interior, or 'curtain-wall,' designed to maximize natural light.

Source: NS Power - Lower Water Street Relocation

17 January 2011

Public Service Commission Power Plant at Conquerall Mills

I've passed by the former Public Service Commission Power Plant in Conquerall Mills, Nova Scotia thousands of times in my life. For nearly twenty years, I drove by 'the power dam' daily. Over those twenty years, the only thing to change at the dam was the 'For Sale' sign. It has been privately owned for decades and was rumoured to be on and off the real estate market at various times throughout.

The former hydroelectric power plant is situated on the Petite Riviere, or Petite River, at Conquerall Mills. It was the only dam built on the Petite Riviere explicitly for power generation. Operations ceased in 1971. In 1974, the Town of Bridgewater abandoned the dam. The dam was breached in 1977.

I visited and photographed the exterior of the power plant in January 2007 and again in June 2010. In that short span, only the boards covering the windows had changed. The area grows in considerably in the summer months.

Between visits to the power plant I was given a few historical photos of the dam. The photos were courtesy of my father who was scanning a collection of family photos. Among the scans were several newspaper clippings and two very grey photographs. The photographs show the power plant on the day it became operational some time around 1940.

1. Public Service Commission Power Plant on the day it became operational.