Alexander Hobrecker was a Prussian born August 4, 1844 in Iserlohn, Germany. He served in the Prussian cavalry and won the Memorial Cross for his action in the famous Battle of Königgrätz in the Seven Weeks’ War against Austria in 1866. Alex married Charlotte Luise Clemen of Minden, Germany in 1871. Hobrecker became a wholesale tobacco merchant and they both had immigrated to Halifax in 1874. He made his fortune through the sale of imported Cuban cigars from Havana, English and American cut tobaccos, cigarettes, pipes and related tobacconist's goods. Hobrecker's tobacco business was located at 148 Granville Street in the Prince of Wales Building (currently a Boston Pizza at the corner of Duke Street).

By 1899, Alexander Hobrecker was also the vice-president of the Bras d'Or Marble Company. Hobrecker hired the firm of Elliot and Hopson (Charles Elliot and Edward G. Hopson) in 1899 to draw up plans, but Elliot died in 1901. Hopson decided to continue to practise and invited his younger brother Edward G. Hopson to form a new partnership and they opened two offices, one in Halifax and the other in Sydney, N.S. The Hopson Brothers continued the plans and the architectural firm commissioned the mansion to be constructed of marble from Marble Mountain in Cape Breton. It was to be reminiscent of Hobrecker's family home in Germany. During WWI it was rumoured, though never proven, that the house was intended to be the home and headquarters of Kaiser Wilhelm II if he fled to Canada. Charlotte died in 1910 and Alexander died in 1919.

The marble mansion was bought by brewer Col. Sidney Culverwell Oland and Herlinda deBedia Oland in 1927, after being vacant for 8 years since Hobrecker's death. Neglect had resulted in some damage both inside and out, as well as to the marble exterior.  It was given the name Lindola, derived from Herlinda (Linda) and Oland names. Herlinda was a Spanish-speaking Cuban.

 

Each marble stone from Marble Mountain, Cape Breton, had been extracted, hand sawn, and polished - including the steps, front entrance surrounds, decorative window and tower elements, and the gargoyle rainwater spouts.

There are four floors including the basement. Interior wall coverings of the Chinese room on the first floor under the stairway were made of silk. The dining room had stained glass windows depicting Nova Scotia wildlife. The home was adorned with valuable oil paintings, one of which was a Rubens, Chinese vases and Hepplewhite cabinets and French Provincial furniture. There was also an elevator reaching the second floor hallway next to the stairs which was removed when condos were built. The elevator was again restored when building's current owner bought it.

There are four floors including the basement. The basement, never entirely finished by Hobrecker, included a servants’ bathroom, workshops, laundry room, sewing room, and billiard room with windows on the ground level.

The first floor had a wide oak-panelled reception hall with high ceiling. On the right was a card room. On the left was a large sitting room and a large dining room with stained glass windows depicting Nova Scotia wildlife. Every room had its own fireplace.

On the second floor were two guest rooms, master bedroom, and Amadita’s room, also servants' rooms and a linen closet. The third floor was originally an open attic and was converted by the Colonel into three large bedrooms and bathrooms for the children. At the rear of the house were three smaller rooms for servants. The Chapel of Santa Maria del Pilar was for the family's private use end of the hall on the second floor facing Young Avenue.

Two unusual features of the house were the Tower Room and the Chapel. During the Second World War, the walnut-panelled Tower Room was made available to high-ranking officers of all three services by the family, for use as a private club. Here they could write letters, have a drink, read, and relax.

 

The grounds of Lindola, now gone and replaced by four unremarkable homes, were once beautifully landscaped; complete with gravel paths, statuary, recessed wooden benches and a variety of trees and shrubs. Many likened it to a miniature Public Gardens.

Following the sale of the property by the Oland family, the "Castle" underwent a series of owners and suffered some intense periods of neglect. In the early years of the new millennium, it actually found itself in the middle of a major renovation with the intention of transforming the majestic building into a multi-unit condominium. That drastic transformation never reached complete fruition. Fortunately, the building's current owner, fully appreciating the history and grandeur of the building, has had it fully restored to its original magnificence and function as a private family home.

The one time chauffeur's residence built by the Olands shortly after 1931, is located at the back of Lindola at 940 Ivanhoe Street. It was designed by architectural firm of Sydney Perry Dumaresq in the style of the castle.