National Historic Site of Canada

Cast Iron Façade / Coomb's Old English Shoe Store National Historic Site of Canada

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Also known as Cast Iron Façade / Coomb's Old English Shoe Store, Ancien magasin de chaussures anglaises Coombs

Facade of the Cast Iron Façade / Coomb's Old English Shoe Store showing its distinctive cast-iron facade, extending the full, four-storey height of the building.
Photo: Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, n.d.

Built: 1860
Recognized: 1981
By: Government of Canada

The register’s text, word for word

Description

The Cast Iron Façade / Coombs Old English Shoe Store is a mid-19th-century commercial building with a cast-iron facade. It is located in the Granville Street area of downtown Halifax. The Coombs building forms part of a block of historically and architecturally significant commercial buildings. The formal recognition consists of the building on its property at the time of recognition.

Heritage value

The Cast Iron Façade / Coombs Old English Shoe Store was designated a national historic site in 1980 because it provides a rare and early example of a full, cast-iron facade in Canada.

Built in 1860, the Coomb's building is one of the first cast-iron-front structures constructed in Canada and the only building in Halifax known to have a facade composed entirely of cast iron. The four-storey facade was designed and manufactured by the Architectural Iron Works of New York City, a major supplier and promoter of cast iron architecture in North America.

SourceHistoric Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minute, June 1980

Register entry

No. 1393

Recognition: National Historic Site of Canada
Recognized by: Government of Canada
Statute: Historic Sites and Monuments Act
Date recognized: January 15, 1981
Built: 1860
Current function: Shop or Wholesale Establishment, Composite School
Themes: Architecture and Design
Address: 1883-1885 Granville Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

View the original entry

Cite this entry

Reference

“Cast Iron Façade / Coomb's Old English Shoe Store National Historic Site of Canada.” Heritage Guide, Canadian Register of Historic Places entry 1393. https://heritageguide.ca/cast-iron-facade-coombs-old-english-shoe-store-national-historic-site-of-canada-halifax-nova-scotia.

Wikipedia

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In Heritage Guide collections

Addition

Grouped by Heritage Guide from this place’s register description. Not part of the official record.

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Character‑defining elements

The key elements that relate to the heritage value of the Cast Iron Façade / Coombs Old English Shoe Store include:

-its cast-iron facade, extending the full, four-storey height of the building;

-the distinctive white colour of the façade;

-the Italianate detailing and fenestration of the façade, illustrating the sculptural potential of cast iron, including: a large, semi-circular window opening extending the full width of the façade at the second storey; and three, large, arched window openings separated by Corinthian columns on each of the third and fourth storeys;

-the building's construction, whereby the iron front is attached by rods to solid brick side walls.

End of the register’s text