Description of Historic Place

The Moirs Ltd. Power House is a small, industrial building, built of reinforced concrete located in the Millview area of Bedford, NS. It is associated with Moirs Limited, a chocolate company that made chocolates and wooden boxes in this location in the early twentieth century. Provincial designation applies to the building and the property.

Heritage Value

The Moirs Ltd. Power House is valued for both its industrial history and architecture, and its modern rehabilitation to serve as a tourist bureau and interpretive centre.

Moirs Limited was founded as a bakery in 1816 by Benjamin Moir. In 1903, still under the ownership of the Moir family and incorporated as Moirs Ltd., the bakery expanded to include the production of chocolate. A refining plant and wooden box mill were built at Bedford, NS. The power plant was built in 1931 to drive the refinery and box mill. It was fed by nearby Paper Mill Lake. The plant is a small, single storey building, constructed of reinforced concrete and located directly on Moirs Mill Brook, a small feeder stream running between Paper Mill Lake and the Bedford Basin. Interior evidence of the building’s industrial history remains. It is the last surviving structure associated with the Moir's manufacturing enterprise in Bedford.

The place is also valued for its preservation and adaptive resuse as a local tourist bureau. Open in the summers, the space is used to disseminate tourism information and to educate visitors about the history of the site and area. A mezzanine and other modern conviences were added to create additional space for administation and interpretation, while retaining elements related to the building's industrial history. Outside a space for visitors to sit near the brook have been established, as well as a small walking path along the brook.

Source: Provincial Heritage Property Files, file no. 98.

Character-Defining Elements

Character Defining Elements of the MoirS Ltd. Power House include:

- words "Moirs Limited" engraved on three façades;
- reinforced concrete building materials;
- unadorned façades;
- all original or replica windows and doors;
- flat roof;
- box-like shape;
- close proximity to Moirs Mill Brook;
- all interior elements related to the building’s original function as a power plant, including pieces of orignal hoist, and exposed steel beams;
- all interior elements added during the rehabilitation of the site for the purposes of establising a tourist bureau, including a mezzanine space, restroom and interpretiave space;
- elements on property related to original function as a power generating station, including several concrete supports, and related to the present use as a vistor centre including benches and a small walking path.