News Release
Process Allows Past and Future Demands to Co-Exist
(Tuesday, July 24/2001)-- Mayor Peter Kelly said today that he hopes all developers building in "historically significant" areas throughout the municipality will mirror the archaeological process followed by HRM prior to excavation of the site for the new municipal parking facility in downtown Halifax.
Mayor Kelly told reporters at a news briefing this morning that the experience gained from the municipal parking garage project "demonstrates that the demands of history and modern day development can co-exist in any building process."
HRM and its private sector partner on the municipal parking facility, the Hardman Group, agreed from the start that there would be an archaeological survey of the downtown site undertaken before the excavation for construction began.
Bill Hardman Sr., Chair of the Hardman Group, said "The Hardman Group are proud of the cooperation between HRM, the contractor, the Nova Scotia Museum, the archeologist and ourselves to develop a research schedule which kept this project on time and on budget, but also achieved the broader goals of researching our community's heritage."
Dr. Stephen Davis, an archaeologist with St. Mary's University, working in cooperation with the Nova Scotia Museum, was contracted by the developer to carry out the archaeological survey on the building site in downtown Halifax. The site is bounded by Hollis, Salter and Granville Streets and the TexPark garage on the north. The area was one of the earliest settled in Halifax, during the late 1700s.
Dr. Davis said upwards of 10,000 pieces in total were recovered from the site, and approximately 2,000 items (whole or in pieces) have been catalogued so far. The artifacts included such things as chamber pots, serving plates and dishes, clay pipes, medicine bottles and other assorted wares.
David Christianson, Curator, Archaeology, with the Nova Scotia Museum, which administers the Special Places Protection Act, said the Museum is both pleased and proud of the collaborative effort that led to the recovery of so many items from Halifax's rich historic past.
The Mayor said "This project proves that we can literally dig into our past and recover artifacts which are interesting, and sometimes, significant; and yet not negatively impact on the cost and construction deadline set down for the completion of a major development in historic areas."
A sampling of artifacts recovered from the parking garage site will be on display on the Main Level, City Hall, 1841 Argyle Street, Halifax, until the end of September. The public is invited to visit the exhibit.
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Mayor Peter Kelly
(902) 490-4010
Bill Hardman Sr.
Chair, The Hardman Group
(902) 429-3743
Dr. Stephen Davis
Archaeologist, St. Mary's University
(902) 420-5631
David Christianson
Curator, Archaeology
Nova Scotia Museum
(902)424-6461
