When
the
Halifax
Club
was
founded,
the
American
Civil
War
was
on
and
Halifax
was
booming. Halifax
was
a
wealthy
city
based
upon
the
Navy,
shipbuilding,
fishing,
lumbering,
international
trades,
mining
and
agriculture,
as
well
as
being
noted
for
its
manufacturing
and
banking. Three
of
today’s
existing
chartered
banks,
the
CIBC,
the
Bank
of
Nova
Scotia
and
the
Royal
Bank,
have
their
roots
in
Halifax.
On
January
22,
1862,
15
distinguished
gentlemen
of
Halifax
met
in
the
Hollis
Street
office
of
Robie
Uniacke
to
organize
what
was
to
become
known
as
The
Halifax
Club. These
men,
whose
names
served
as
a
Who’s
Who
of
Halifax
at
that
time,
were
William
A.
Black,
Mathers
Byles
Almon,
Edward
Binney,
Captain
W.W.
Lyttleton,
Colonel
W.J.
Myers,
Edward
Kenny,
S.A.
White,
James
C.
Cogswell,
Henry
Pryor,
John
Tobin,
Robert
Morrow,
Alfred
G.
Jones,
M.B.
Almon,
Jr.
and
William
Cunard.
In
May
1862,
the
land
on
Hollis
Street
was
purchased
for
$8,000. In
November
1863,
the
building
was
completed
and
as
noted
in
the
London
Illustrated
News:
“…is
situated
on
Hollis
street
and
presents
a
bold
and
striking
appearance. The
style
is
Italian
Renaissance,
the
ground
and
first
stories
are
decorated
with
Roman
Doric
and
Ionic
orders…”
The
Club
prospered
along
with
the
business
community. The
full
time
manager
was
paid
30
pounds
per
year
and
the
first
telephone
was
installed
in
1879,
one
of
the
first
in
Halifax. Along
with
dining
and
cigars,
the
Club
was
a
place
where
the
members
played
billiards
and
in
1902,
a
ping
pong
table
was
also
added
to
the
Club. The
cost
to
play
in
those
days
was
15
cents
for
a
half
hour.
In
1912,
the
club
was
completely
renovated
at
a
cost
of
over
$40,000. This
included
the
refinishing
of
all
walls
and
floors,
the
remaking
the
kitchen
and
the
installation
of
a
new
heating
system. At
this
time,
the
Club
was
renting
six
telephone
lines,
each
housed
in
an
elegant
oak
and
glass
booth,
at
a
cost
of
$180
each.
Prohibition
hit
Halifax
and
the
Club
in
1916. The
loss
of
revenue
from
selling
spirits
meant
that
the
members’
dues
had
to
go
up
from
$50
to
$60.
While
it
did
not
itself
suffer
much
damage
in
the
tragic
Halifax
explosion
of
1917,
the
Club
did
house
the
many
doctors
who
came
from
New
England
to
tend
to
the
city’s
wounded.
In
1920,
several
members
of
the
Club
formed
the
Bachelors’
Club,
a
group
of
men
that
would
meet
on
selected
Saturday
nights
to
play
cards
and
enjoy
a
fine
meal. This
organization
is
still
going
strong
today.
During
the
Second
World
War,
Halifax
and
the
Halifax
Club
were
humming. The
membership
swelled
with
all
of
the
military
officers
in
town. Along
with
cards,
billiards
and
fine
meals,
the
Club
also
held
dances
and
other
entertainment
to
alleviate
the
stresses
of
wartime.
After
the
war
was
over,
the
Club
was
still
run
on
the
English
model
of
a
Club
and
many
of
the
staff
were
from
England. However,
times
were
changing. Restaurants
and
licensed
establishments
were
opening
up
in
the
city
and
the
Club
was
no
longer
the
only
place
in
town
to
go
to
enjoy
fine
dining
and
entertainment.
One
change
was
that
up
until
1985,
women
were
not
allowed
in
the
Club
until
after
5:00
p.m. In
that
year,
Noella
Fisher
became
the
first
female
member
of
the
Club. Since
that
time,
the
Club
has
elected
its
first
female
president
and
the
use
of
the
Club
has
been
opened
for
use
by
non-members. Today,
while
the
building
retains
its
old
world
charm,
the
atmosphere
is
much
more
casual,
and
the
“old
boys”
image
is
now
a
thing
of
the
past.
In
many
ways,
the
history
of
the
Halifax
Club
is
a
history
of
Halifax
from
1862
to
the
present. The
next
time
you
are
in
the
Club,
take
a
moment
to
soak
up
the
history,
feel
all
good
times
that
past
members
have
enjoyed
here
and
take
in
the
ambiance
that
only
the
Halifax
Club
can
offer.
This
brief
summary
of
the
Halifax
Club
has
been
largely
extracted
from
the
book
The
Halifax
Club
1862-1987
which
was
produced
by
the
Club
in
1986. The
Club
has
some
copies
if
you
would
like
to
learn
more.
Many
thanks
to
E.G.
(Ward)
Skinner
for
compiling
this
historical
summary.
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