Description of Historic Place

Heritage Conservation District I consists of a neighborhood of 34 Late Victorian style residences built between 1871 and 1938, located on Muir, Faulkner, Pleasant and Victoria Streets in the urban core of Truro, Nova Scotia. The Heritage Conservation District designation includes all of the specified buildings and the properties on which they are situated. Four of the properties within the District are individually designated historic sites.

Heritage Value

Heritage Conservation District I is valued as a representation of late nineteenth and early twentieth century Truro during its period of rapid growth as a railway and industrial centre. The District consists of residential buildings that were originally homes for railway workers, merchants and tradespeople. It preserves the historic street plan that was developed as the large properties in the centre of the town were divided into smaller lots in order to accommodate the need for housing near the railway yards. In many ways, the evolution of the District through the years and the history of the people who lived here mirror the evolution of the town and its economy.
The District also valued as one of the best preserved nineteenth century residential neighbourhoods in Nova Scotia. Built between 1871 and 1938, the homes display a wide variety of Late Victorian architectural styles, while still maintaining a high degree of consistency in terms of scale, placement, materials and use. This consistency is evident in the later buildings in the District, as they were constructed to be in harmony with the older buildings.

Source: Planning Department, Town of Truro, file 10MNS0048

Character-Defining Elements

Character Defining Elements of Truro's Heritage District I consist of a variety of elements that are important in the preserving the District's heritage value and include:

- historic street plan of the area;
- narrow street widths on Muir, Faulkner and the intersecting Arlington Streets;
- late Victorian residential buildings of 1½ and 2 storeys each, constructed of similar materials, scale, placement relative to the street, and architectural detail;
- distinctive street signs demarcating the District;
- all buildings compliant with the town’s Heritage Conservation District Plan and By-Law.