Remembering the historic McCall housing complex in Halifax

The corner of Robie and Almon Streets in Halifax may look like a typical urban commercial property, but according to historian Blair Beed, the site is also connected to a tragic chapter in Halifax history - when there was a major housing crisis following the Halifax Explosion.

“The McCall Apartments were there for 20 years in various renditions as they were used for public housing in various sorts,” said Beed. “Inside the apartment was a basic kitchen, living room and one or two bedrooms to house a family.”

(Photo courtesy: Blair Beed/HFX Relief Commission Nova Scotia Archives)

The apartments were named after Samuel McCall, the former Massachusetts Governor who helped lead the Halifax Explosion relief efforts.

(Photo courtesy: Blair Beed/HFX Relief Commission Nova Scotia Archives)

“We often don’t realize it was the people of Massachusetts and Governor McCall who helped with that housing and furnished it right away," said Beed. "They got it done and they got people out of tents who were living on the Commons.”

According to Dartmouth historian David Jones, emergency works were launched in both Halifax and Dartmouth to provide shelter for the homeless in the weeks after the explosion.

“On the Dartmouth side of the harbour, they used worker housing at Imperial Oil where the oil refineries are today," said Jones. "And then they later on built apartments in Dartmouth near Victoria Park.”

Beed said it is worth noting, housing shortages have been a reoccurring theme in the overall history of Halifax.

“The Halifax Explosion need wasn’t unique, because in World War Two, they did the prefab homes," said Beed. "Now we have the same problem, with people in tents who need to get out of them.”

Halifax's Hydrostone neighbourhood was also built in the years following the Halifax Explosion. Both Beed and Jones said these tough chapters from our history need to be identified, preserved and never forgotten.