Project to save Halifax's historic Morris House months behind schedule

A project to save an historic house in central Halifax is now many months behind schedule.

Morris House, which is more than 250 years old, will eventually be turned into affordable housing for young people, but there is still much work to be done.

“We have to go slowly as not to disturb the original fabric of the building,” says Andrew Murphy, vice-president of finance for the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia. “This building has many different layers and ages of construction materials.”

The group is working to preserve the home, which was built in 1764 and is the oldest wooden residence in Halifax.

It was originally saved from demolition on Morris Street and moved across the city to the corner of Charles and Creighton streets in January 2013 – an historic move that attracted national attention and was captured on television.

Once the work is complete, the home will offer affordable housing for five people between the ages of 19 and 24.

But the president of the Heritage Trust says they had hoped to have the project finished by now, and the executive director of the Metro Non-Profit Housing Association says there is a waitlist for people wanting to move in.

“There certainly is quite a few people we know who could have been benefiting from this and we haven’t been able to help them with it,” says Carol Charlebois. “It’s disappointing that it’s taking this long.”

So far, the exterior has been painted, asbestos and hazardous paint have been removed, and a structural engineer has assessed the building.

Murphy says they want to maintain the history as much as possible, while keeping up with the times and the renewed timeline. He estimates they will spend $200,000 on renovations.

“We are very hopeful that we will get the front steps and back porch on and through the winter, plan to get the heat on and finish it off over the winter in time for a spring opening,” says Murphy.

Heritage Trust still has to secure permits and hire a contractor. Once that’s done, they hope to move ahead with the project.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Kelland Sundahl