John A. MacInnes was part of the lumbering firm, MacKintosh & McInnis, with partner, John D. MacKintosh, established in 1865. When MacKintosh died in 1893, John MacInnes joined with his son, J. Alfred MacInnes, and added an "A" and an "E" to the last name. Very confusing as there were various spellings of his name with versions of "innes" or "innis" as well.

 

John was managing director at John MacInnes & Son, Ltd – contractors, manufacturers, builders and lumber merchants. They were also manufacturers of doors, sashes, mouldings and general mill work, as well as dealers in foreign and domestic lumber and building materials. The office was located at 59 & 61 Lower Water Street at the foot of Bishop Street (where the Piazza at Bishop's Landing is today). The MacInnes firm did a lot of contract work on Young Avenue homes.

 

John married Annie Bendeler of Fredericton, New Brunswick in 1865. In the 1901 Census, John and Annie lived in the house with four children and a domestic servant. John died in 1907 at 70 and Annie died in 1933 at the age of 90, but the MacInnes' had the home until 1938.

 

This was to be the first of three houses on Young Avenue designed by Architect Richard Arthur Johnson. Johnson was born in England, was educated there, and came to Canada as a child. He appears to have left Canada after 1890 and was engaged as draughtsman in some of the more notable Boston offices as a chief draughtsman of well-known Boston architect, William G. Preston. He returned to Nova Scotia and, after working in Sydney for a short period, returned to Halifax in 1904. Johnson's architectural career ended before 1930, and he died at Bedford, N.S. in 1949. Johnson also designed John's son, J. Alfred MacInnes' home right next door, and the W.A. Black mansion on Young Avenue called Ardnamara.

 

This is a two-and-a-half storey red brick house with a large wrap-around front porch held up by multiple Tuscan columns. Brick was uncommon in Halifax residences, mostly because of its costs compared to wood. The Act relating to Young Avenue in 1896 stipulated that no wooden home could be erected under $7,000 and brick under $8,000.

 

Large bay windows with arched mullions are on the main level. A large central window on the second-storey is above the front door, and two windows flanking it on either side also with arched mullions. On the third-storey is a central window with a fanlight and a dormer window on each side flanking it. The front entrance has a fanlight above the doorway. Most of the home's windows, in the front and on the sides, have arched mullions.