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Wolff House

28 King Street, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, B0J, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1990/04/26

Wolff House, Old Town, Lunenburg, Lunenburg bump detail, 2004; Heritage Division, NS Dept. of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, 2004
Lunenburg bump detail
Wolff House, Old Town, Lunenburg, front façade detail, 2004; Heritage Division, NS Dept. of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, 2004
Front façade detail
Wolff House, Old Town, Lunenburg, front façade, 2004; Heritage Division, NS Dept. of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, 2004
Front façade

Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1876/01/01 to 1876/12/31

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2004/12/15

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

Wolff House is a two-storey Victorian wooden building located in the centre of Old Town, a designated heritage district in Lunenburg, NS. It is located immediately at the street line, without much surrounding property. Designation extends to the building and surrounding property.

Heritage Value

Built in 1876 by Nicholas Berringer, this house became the home of Augustus Wolff, Lunenburg's first mayor, in 1882. Its heritage value lies in its relationship to Wolff, and its Victorian architectural features.

The Wolff House has retained most of its original architectural features and is ornamented by projecting dormers and detailed woodwork on each façade, especially where it faces the street. It is an excellent example of High Victorian architecture in Lunenburg, with many vernacular features including a prominent central 'Lunenburg bump.' Its central location on one of Lunenburg's main commercial streets, built to the street line, makes it a key part of the town's historic streetscape.

Source: Heritage Designation File 66400-40-14, Town of Lunenburg.

Character-Defining Elements

Character-defining elements of the Wolff House relate to its High Victorian and Lunenburg Vernacular architectural elements including:

- close proximity to the street and its neighbours;
- three symmetrical dormers on the front façade, each with marching two-tier roofs and round headed mullions;
- central dormer, known locally as a 'Lunenburg bump', with fretsawn gingerbread on its lower edge over the main door and enclosed porch;
- two-over-two windows have original entablatures and bracketing;
- lintels on all windows retain original scrollwork;
- sympathetic two-storey tower on the rear corner (a later addition);
- steep gable roof, with two symmetrically placed chimneys;
- second door to the south of the front porch, also with original ornamentation;
- clapboard siding with wide cornerboards and curved eaves with slightly overhanging fascia;
- rectangular transom and sidelight windows on the main door.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Nova Scotia

Recognition Authority

Local Governments (NS)

Recognition Statute

Heritage Property Act

Recognition Type

Municipally Registered Property

Recognition Date

1990/04/26

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life
Architecture and Design
Governing Canada
Politics and Political Processes
Peopling the Land
Settlement

Function - Category and Type

Current

Commerce / Commercial Services
Office or Office Building

Historic

Residence
Single Dwelling

Architect / Designer

Nicholas Berringer

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Town of Lunenburg, 119 Cumberland Street, P.O. Box 129, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, B0J 2C0.

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

37MNS0014

Status

Published

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