Nova Scotia Archives
Built Heritage Resource Guide
"Hydrostone: The Material Used in Rebuilding Halifax"
Taken from Construction: A Journal for the Architectural, Engineering and Contracting Interests of Canada (Toronto: October 1919, Vol XII, no. 10), pp. 51, 53, 57, 58, 60-63.
Following the devastating Halifax Explosion of December 6, 1917, town planner Thomas Adams was joined by architect George Ross, of the firm Ross and Macdonald of Montreal, who offered their services at a bargain rate in February 1918.
Ross and Adams jointly toured the devastated area on April 10 and subsequently prepared preliminary reports. George Ross, architect in the firm Ross and Macdonald, wanted to maximize the aesthetic qualities of the development and to provide fire resistant and sanitary buildings at a reasonable cost.
He decided upon hydrostone for the exterior of the houses. Hydrostone consisted of a mixture of gravel, crushed stone, sand and portland cement moulded under pressure.
Date: 1919
Format: Photocopy
Reference: Halifax Relief Commission Nova Scotia Archives MG 36 Series R no. 1717.29