Schmidtville Heritage District - Historic Places Days

Schmidtville Heritage District

Halifax, Nova Scotia
Address
Birmingham Street, Halifax, NS, Canada
Get directions
Hours
9AM-5PM all year
Phone
902 429 6704

Schmidtville was established in 1830 by Mrs. Elizabeth Schmidt, the wife of the Hessian Captain Wilhelm Schmidt. Captain Schmidt fought in the American Revolution as part of the hired mercenary force used by the British in the war. Schmidtville was one of the first formal sub-divisions outside the fortified walls of the original settlement of Halifax, Nova Scotia. This is also the first case of a woman developer in Nova Scotia. Mrs. Schmidt was left the land by her father Mr. James Pedley who was an armaments dealer for the British army in Halifax. The land left to Mrs. Schmidt included area between Morris St. to Spring Garden Rd. and from Queen St. to Dresden Row. Later in the Victorian era, Schmidtville expanded to include all the land north of Holy Cross Cemetery along Morris St., South Park St. to Queen St. and to Sackville Street. This also included the homes of the first Halifax utopian development along Wright Ave and South Park Street by Halifax millionaire George Wright who died on the Titanic. Built on the ideal of rich and poor living together and learning from each other.

Schmidtville remained a mixed use residential area until 1960 when a massive city-wide redevelopment project saw over half the neighborhood leveled to provide parking to the increasing centralized commercial area along Spring Garden Road. Throughout the districts history Schmidtville is and has been home to merchants, tradesman, all ethnic groups and immigrants. The remaining south area of Schmidtville remains intact and contributed to Halifax’s identity and heritage through its architecture and livability.

In 2008, a community lead initiative has lead to the area being turned into a Heritage Conservation District. The District should be formally completed by the end of 2018. In, 2017, Schmidtville won The Great Places in Canada contest as greatest neighbourhood in Canada for 2017. The residents of past and present are very proud of their neighbourhood and want to share this historic neighbourhood with the world.

Please checkout the heritage conversation district process for Schmidtville at https://www.shapeyourcityhalifax.ca/schmidtville

 

Location

Birmingham Street, Halifax, NS, Canada
Get directions

Video

Nearby Places

Government House and the Maroons

Halifax, Nova Scotia
One of two sites constructed by the Jamaican Maroons.
View Place | Get Directions

Government House Halifax

Halifax, Nova Scotia
Official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia
View Place | Get Directions

The Turret

Halifax, Nova Scotia
The Turret began as a one-night gay disco on the 3rd floor of 1588 Barrington Street – the…
View Place | Get Directions

Green Lantern Building

Halifax, Nova Scotia
In the early and mid 1970s The Green Lantern Building – located at 1585 Barrington Street …
View Place | Get Directions

Popular VisitLists Including "Schmidtville Heritage District"

Visiting with Via: The Halifax Train Station and Nearby Historic Places

Halifax, Nova Scotia 9 places
The final stop on VIA Rail’s Eastbound train, the Ocean (Montréal to Halifax), is the historic Halifax station, located just steps away from the city’s many historic places. 
View VisitList

Register A Place

Create an account to add your historic place.

Make a VisitList

Welcome! To get started on a VisitList, you’ll need to have an account with #HistoricPlacesDays.


Already have an account? to sign in.
We use your contact information to process your registration and correspond with you about the National Trust and its programs. You can unsubscribe at any time. We care about your privacy. Read our privacy statement.

Sign In

Sites that participate in #HistoricPlacesDays need to have an account.

Welcome! To get started on a new VisitList or to edit an existing one, you’ll need to have an account with #HistoricPlacesDays. Sign in below!


Not registered? Click here to create an account.

Forgot Password

Enter your email address to request a password reset.


to sign in.

Get the latest scoop on everything #HistoricPlacesDays – join our e-newsletter and never miss a beat.