(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

Did you notice all the excitement at the Seaport Market on Saturday when the Prime Minister dropped by? Twitter was flooded with images, some so cute that kittens stopped trending for a moment. This made me remember when Justin's father and mother visited Fortress Louisbourg in August 1971. I had a summer job there as…Read More