Description of Historic Place

The David Starr House is a two-and-a-half-storey,wooden, Georgian-style dwelling designed in a side-hall plan. This simple building is designed in a classically derived style with a symetrical arrangement of windows, door, and dormers. The house is located on the outskirts of Downtown Halifax, NS, on Brunswick Street, which was a fashionable residential area for the mercantile class in the nineteenth century. The building designation applies to the building and land it occupies.

Heritage Value

The David Starr House is valued for its association with David Starr, the first resident of the house and a descendant of the prominent loyalist family from Starr's Point, King's County, NS. David Starr was the co-foundeder of the famous Starr Manufacturing Company of Dartmouth that manufactured ice skates and nails. The company became one of the largest of its kind in Canada, and the first to manufacture iron and steel. There were many industrial achievements attributed to Starr Manufacturing such as the first expansion bridge at Elmsdale, N.S, and national awards for ice skate design which was crucial to the development of the sport of hockey in Canada.

The David Starr House is also associated with Edmund Morris, a former Mayor of Halifax and former member of Provincial Cabinet. Edmund Morris lived in the house in the 1930's with his widowed mother. During his term as the mayor in the 1970's, he spearheaded the restoration of the Grand Parade as well as the preparation of the City of Halifax's Municipal Development Plan.

This two-and-a-half-storey,wooden, Georgian-style dwelling, is simply designed in a classically derived style. It has a symetrical facade, with scottish dormers, and truncated gable roof. In combination with other buildings of similar age and style on Brunswick Street, the David Starr House contrinutes to the overall historic character of the area.

Source: Halifax Regional Municipality Planning and Development Services, Heritage File 2415 Brunswick Street

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements of the David Starr house include:

- symetrical façade arrangement, boxed returned eaves;
- wood shingle cladding with stucco on the north side;
- truncated gable roof, box cornice with return at the roofline and wooden pilasters defining the corner of the building;
- wide wooden corner and fasica boards;
- vertically proportioned windows;
- fieldstone foundation.