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St. Joseph's Square
5450 Kaye Street
Halifax, NS B3K 0G7
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+1 902-406-5450
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The image shows a logo with the text "Hillside Suites" and a graphic of a stylized tree inside a square.
The image shows a logo with the text "Hillside Suites" and a graphic of a stylized tree inside a square.

History

History

Built from History

The story of St. Joseph’s Square is deeply connected to the story of the North End. From the rebuilding that followed the Halifax Explosion to the neighbourhood we know today, its history is one of resilience, community, and renewal.

Halifax Hydrostone was born out of crisis, in the aftermath of the Halifax explosion. The Halifax Explosion rocked Halifax and was heard all the way in Boston. The explosions devastated the North End of Halifax. The explosion gave birth to the Hydrostone district and the neighbourhood was completed in the 1920s.
The Hydrostone District carries a consistent architectural style inspired by an English garden suburb, with subtle variations throughout the neighbourhood. Its design followed modern, practical town-planning principles and was created primarily to house working-class families displaced by the explosion.
Original church stonework, the cornerstone, and three stained-glass windows depicting the impact of the Halifax Explosion were salvaged and incorporated into St. Joseph’s Square as meaningful cultural features and a tribute to the former Gothic church.