By Devonna Edwards, Columnist
Both Belle Vue and Clairmont were in the north-end of Halifax opposite each other. Belle Vue was located on the north-west corner of Gottingen and North Streets and Clairmont was located on the north-east corner of Gottingen and North Street. Belle Vue, sometimes called Bellevue, should not be confused with another estate on Spring Garden Road with the same name.
THE BELLE VUE:
This impressive mansion was built about 1821 by Benjamin Etter, who was a watchmaker, silversmith, office holder, militia officer and shipowner. He was born in 1763 in Braintree, Mass. and left Boston for Halifax in 1766 with his parents and sibling after the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. In May 1789 he married Mary Bessonett and opened a watchmaker and jeweler business on George Street. Later he added silversmith to his enterprise and then moved to the corner of Barrington and George Street. He then married his second wife Margaret Elizabeth Tidmarsh in 1798 and his third wife Sarah Holmes in 1818 who later died in their Belle Vue residence in 1869. He and his three wives had nineteen children altogether.
He became a prominent figure in Halifax society and was an officer in the Nova Scotia militia. He became a privateer when he purchased the armed brig “Earl of Dublin” and later purchased a 135-ton armed schooner “General Bowyer”. Privateering made him a very rich man and in 1821 he built one of the most impressive houses in Halifax which, he called “Belle Vue” located at the west corner of North and Gottingen Streets. Belle Vue was described as an over ornate residence with beautiful flower gardens, majestic trees, cultivated fields and decorative fountains. On the premises stood a carriage house and barn which housed horses, also a worker’s cottage was built in 1821, the same year the manor was erected. The cottage housed the gardeners and the coachmen. Benjamin Sr. died on September 23, 1827, and was buried in St. Paul’s Cemetery.
The house and property passed to Benjamin’s son-in-law Hon. William Anderson Black, who was a politician born in 1847 and died in 1934. In 1875 he founded Pickford and Black with partner Robert Pickford. The company supplied ships’ provisions and then expanded into shipping passengers and freight, as well as trading in the West Indies. Today a restaurant on Water Street in downtown Halifax is named after his company. Next Belle Vue went to Hon. William Anderson Black’s son Martin Pinkey Black. Martin was a silversmith and jeweler who became a partner in the company called Black and Brothers. He was also the elder brother of Charles H.M. Black, who at that time owned the property called Clairmont located across the street. At one time two well-known brothers by the name of Black lived in grand mansions opposite each other, sound familiar, today two prominent Giacomantonio brothers occupy large statuesque houses next to each other on Connaught Avenue in Halifax. Belle Vue was subdivided about the same time as Bloomfield, and Black Street was made from part of its carriage drive. The main house was later converted into apartments called the Webster Apartments, owned by George Webster. Sheila (Smith) Andrecyk, an elderly friend of mine, lived in Webster Apartments when she was a little girl and has fond memories of the area.
When the land was subdivided, the Empire Theatre was built on the property and stood there from 1939 to 1956. At that time, it only cost 10 cents to see two featured movies. In 1958 the Full Gospel Church occupied the site in the old theatre building until 1974. Then the Empire building was torn down and a Fina gas station occupied the site. Finally in the late 1960s, the grand old house called Belle Vue was demolished and property at the back was subdivided and Northwood Towers, a 73- unit affordable housing project designed for seniors, was opened in 1967. Construction began on Northwood Manor in 1970, it was described as a nine-story nursing home with a multi-purpose Senior’s Centre on the ground floor.
THE CLAIRMONT:
The magnificent manor ‘Clairmont’ stood on the north-east corner of Gottingen and North Streets, across the street from Belle Vue. The house was built by Hon. John Hawkins Anderson, who was born in 1805 and died in 1870, his occupation was that of a dry goods merchant and a bank manager.
He then served as an Alderman in Halifax, later became a member of the Legislative Council of Nova Scotia and finally a member of the Senate of Canada.
The Clairmont Property was beautifully laid out with flower gardens, walking paths with many trees and fountains, along with many colourful rock gardens. The original property extended from Gottingen Street to Lorne Terrace and from North Street to Admiralty House which today stands in C.F.B. Stadacona on Gottingen Street. After Anderson, the estate then came into the hands of Charles Henry Miller Black who resided there in 1878. He belonged to the hardware firm called the Black Brothers; he was the son of Hon. William Anderson Black. After Charles died and was buried in Camp Hill Cemetery, the estate was willed to Mrs. H.F. Worrall, who had been the widow of Charles’s brother William L. Black. She lived at the mansion for several years with her second husband. The house for a short time was used as quarters and a mess for officers of Wellington Barracks, while alterations were being made to their regular quarters. Wellington Barracks, built north of Admiralty House in 1854, are no longer there today. The Clairmont building then became a hotel operated by Mr. Morrison. City of Halifax Engineering and Works Department plan # F-1-770 shows Clairmont being divided into building lots in April 1895. A Home for Aged Men occupied the building in 1904 after they moved from another site formerly known as “Rosebank”, which was located on Gottingen Street. The Home provided a safe residence and nutritious meals for elderly Protestant men in good health. The Home for Aged Men then moved across the street to the Montague Property on Gottingen Street. In 1943 the Canadian Navy purchased Clairmont; to use as a nurse’s residence and it was renamed The Russell House. The fine estate of Clairmont was demolished around 1955 and today the property is owned by Canadian Forces Base (C.F.B.) Halifax Stadacona.
For more photos: www. fairviewhistoricalsociety.ca
