Have you drunk the kool-aid of the Marie Kondo de-cluttering phenomenon? Folding my socks in that strange fashion has been surprisingly satisfying. Also rewarding is her concept of being aware of things that spark joy and this blog is about a little discovery that has sparked joy for me. Recently I led a Jane's Walk to look at buildings designed… Read More

Bridges are popular metaphors: we value bridge builders, you cross that bridge when you come to it, or how about burning a few. Recently I was thrilled to notice a tiny, abandoned, stone bridge we have been driving by for decades. Maybe the allusion for it is: build your bridges so well that they outlast their usefulness. My bridge discovery is at the head of Mader's Cove on… Read More

Authentic, brag-worthy experiences are treasure in a world of virtual. We had one recently: walking on the ocean floor to witness fish captured using a millennia-old weir fishing technique. The adventure was organized by Afishionado, the folks who offer sustainably-caught seafood in Halifax. The weir was at Bramber on the shores of the Minas Basin where the tides of… Read More

Did you attend any Jane's Walks last weekend? Experiencing the city with folks who are passionate about their surroundings, exactly what I enjoy. A great job by Sam Austin organizing this event! I attended four walks and led a fifth. Here I am introducing folks to the work of architect Henry Busch. Several people on the tour… Read More

There has been lots of excitement over the Steele Auto Group’s plans to demolish a whole bunch of buildings to enlarge the parking lots for Colonial Honda on Robie Street. It feels like the perfect strategy to get folks engaged in the Centre Plan discussions. And I've found it useful to hear talk about where car dealerships should be appropriately… Read More

Amherst has had a long, long conversation about the future of an old sandstone Bank of Montreal building on their main street. Future has finally turned into past: you can watch it being demolished on YouTube. Talk of Amherst's rich built heritage sent me looking for some slides I took on a spring morning in 1983. I… Read More

(This is the second in a series of blogs about mid-century concrete buildings on the Dalhousie University Campus). With the sesquicentennial of Confederation coming up next year we will be hearing lots about the legacy of Centennial buildings. Nova Scotia's signature project was a new medical building on the Dalhousie Campus named for Father of Confederation… Read More

Have you noticed news coverage of winter storm damage done to the big barn on the Van Horne estate near St Andrews, New Brunswick? Even before the recent troubles there was a fund-raising drive to stabilize and restore the 1899 building, and it certainly could use some help. In the fall of 2013 we visited the barn on Ministers Island and this… Read More

It was impossible to unsee the recent images of a car hanging to the side of Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland. The car looked so tiny and foreign against that giant mound of rock. Got me remembering when I worked on Signal Hill in the summer of 1966 (50 years ago but who's counting). If you are interested I can show… Read More

Have you noticed that people are going mad over mid-century concrete architecture? The architectural style is popularly known as Brutalist but it is equally popular to say that it shouldn't be called Brutalist. A recent book that celebrates concrete buildings in Boston likes the term Heroic. I enjoy looking at thoughtfully designed concrete buildings around Halifax and don't worry too much about… Read More