Early Young Avenue Development
The Vision
Photo: Point Pleasant Park Gates c. late 19th Century
Chief Justice Sir William Young, the first Point Pleasant Park Commission Chairman. He had a vision of creating a grand public avenue with nicely landscaped impressive homes set back from the street, leading to the entrance of Point Pleasant Park.
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Young donated the gates and granite pillars to the Park in 1886. The gates were designed by local architect Edward Elliot whose office was located at 58 Bedford Road, and manufactured by Dartmouth’s Starr Manufacturing Company. In gratitude, the city named Young Avenue in his honour before his death in May of 1887.
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The gates were the official entrance into the park until Miller Street became Point Pleasant Drive in the 1940s, separating the gates from the actual park.
Photo: Young Avenue Looking South Feb 06, 1914 (Courtesy CSTM Collection)
Few homes existed on Young Avenue in the early 20th century. The brick John A. MacInnes Mansion (left), and Pine Grove behind it, are shown Feb 06, 1914 before the railway cut was begun two years later. Forested areas made up most of the western side, sidewalks and Young Avenue were nothing more than dirt, and the boulevard was not yet constructed.
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To make Young Avenue more attractive to Halifax's upper class, the city spent thousands of dollars to develop and grade the boulevard, and $50,000 to construct a new sewer system despite the fact that only five houses existed on Young Avenue at that time.
Halifax Evening Mail May 26, 1898
Photo: Pine Grove Before Relocation (Courtesy NS Museum)
One of the first homes built on Young Avenue was the Queen Anne style Mrs. (Lousia) Martin Smith mansion. The one pictured above, Pine Grove, was constructed in 1898 across the street in the same architectural style for contractor John MacInnes as a "cottage" rental property. James Charles Philip Dumaresq designed it along with Alfred Whitman's mansion, Floravista, the same year. Floravista was built closer to the Point Pleasant Park Gates.
Photo: Gardens of Pine Grove Before Relocation (Courtesy NS Museum)
Photo: Grass Tennis Courts at Pine Grove Before Relocation (Courtesy NS Museum)
Expropriation and Displacement of Young Avenue Homes
Photo: Pine Grove April 17, 1916 Readied for Removal (Courtesy CSTM Collection)
The city had virtually no role in deciding the location of the ocean terminals or in mitigating their impact. The city's business leadership did not want to endanger or delay the project, and supported the South End rail cut plan despite its impact on residential areas.
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The charm of the pristine avenue didn't last as the Federal government expropriated land, including some from Young Avenue, to create the railway cut leading from the outskirts of the city to the newly developing Ocean Terminals. A few Young Avenue homes were displaced because of this.
Here Pine Grove is shown on April 17, 1916, when it was boarded up, perched on beams and jacks and ready for removal. Construction of the Young Avenue bridge was about to begin. The home stood between what was then, Clarence and Owen Streets (east side of Young Avenue). A newer home at 745 Young Avenue approximately now stands where Pine Grove house was once located.
The South End Railway Cut
The South End Railway Cut
by Barry Copp
The Griffin March 2013
Photo: Railway Cut April 17, 1916 (Courtesy CSTM Collection)
In the photo above the F.W.W. Doane house (at left) and Point Pleasant Park Gates are visible on April 17, 1916 just as the railway cut was being constructed.
Photo: Railway Cut March 11, 1916 (Courtesy CSTM Collection)
In the photo above, the temporary Young Avenue bridge is shown. To the right of the bridge is the home of Mrs. (Louisa) Martin Smith home before it was moved a short distance away. The house was originally on the left hand side (south) of Owen Street (now called Southwood Drive), but was moved to the right hand side (north) since it was too close to the construction of the railway cut, and probably smoke and noise issues as well.
To the right of the Smith mansion is Pine Grove which stood across the street from the Smith home. Both Clarence and most of Owen Street on the eastern side of Young Avenue have disappeared beneath the railway yards. The home was moved across to the western side of the avenue in 1916, due to the construction of the railway cut, and relocated next door to the Mrs. Martin Smith house where it now stands. It may have been too close to the cutting and no doubt, the construction, train smoke and noises were a factor. It became known as the Admiral's House.