Description du lieu patrimonial

Hill House is a one-and-one-half storey wooden home located at the corner of Highland Avenue and Acadia Street, in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Situated on a corner lot with an elaborate diagonal entranceway and located very close to the sidewalk and across the street from the Acadia University campus, the home is a landmark in the town. Only the building is included in the designation.

Valeur patrimoniale

Hill House is valued for its association to its former owner, Dr. D. Upton Hill, builder D. A. Munro and for its architectural features which are unique in the town of Wolfville.

Hill lived in the home for 50 years, from 1923 to 1973. During his time in Wolfville, he served a long and distinguished career at Acadia University and was head of the Chemistry Department for 39 years, from 1917 to 1956. Following his retirement, he was made Professor Emeritus and was awarded an honourary Doctor of Science degree.

A carriage and sleigh maker, D.A. Munro operated a steam-powered carriage factory and woodworking plant in Wolfville. Along with his son, D.R. Munro, he built the town’s first ice rink in 1881, which popularized hockey as a sport enjoyed by both men and women. Later that year, the rink pioneered electricity in the town when Munro installed the first electric light in his ice rink with power from his wood-working factory. With Munro’s plant providing the electricity, D.A. and his partner, J.A. Woodman, led an enterprise in 1895 that brought street lights to the town.

Architecturally, Hill House blends elements of Gothic Revival and Stick architectural styles. Its corner entrance with enclosed porch is a feature not seen anywhere else in town. The Gothic Revival details include the home’s steep-pitched gable roof and bargeboard design. Stick features include brackets on gables and above bay windows as well as elaborate wooden pendants on gables.

sources:
- Town of Wolfville Heritage Property Program files, Hill House file.

Éléments caractéristiques

Character-defining elements of Hill House include:

- located in the heart of Wolfville;
- situated close to road on corner lot;
- steep-pitched gable roof;
- asymmetrical two-bay facade;
- corner entrance with enclosed porch;
- clapboard siding;
- bay windows on first storey;
- dormer window on top storey above entrance;
- bargeboard design and brackets on gables;
- brackets above first floor bay windows;
- overhanging eaves and pilasters.
- elaborate wooden pendants on gable windows;
- multiple string courses running the circumference of the house.