45 Alma Street

STREET ADDRESS: 45 Alma Street

CITY/TOWN/VILLAGE: Yarmouth

MUNICIPALITY: Yarmouth

COUNTY: Yarmouth

YEAR BUILT: circa 1887

ARCHITECTURAL COMMENT:

Italianate in style, this is a two storey home of wood construction. The symmetrical two bay facade has an off-centered doorway. The low pitched hip roof has wide eaves supported by decorative brackets and one chimney, discreetly placed. The wide paned windows are two over two double hung with wide casings. The lower floor windows are trimmed with heavy entablitures and decorative brackets. There are two storey bay windows on both sides of the building. There is a gable roof ell to the rear, this contains one shed roof dormer with two windows. A matching shed is attached to the west of the ell and an enclosed porch to the east. The building is clad in narrow wooden clapboards and trimmed with wide, contrasting cornerboards.

HISTORICAL COMMENT:

In 1879 Prince Durkee purchased this lot of land from Robert S. Eakins, a merchant for $525.00. In 1887 Durkee took out a mortgage with the Board of the Presbyterian College Halifax for $1,600.00. It is believed that he was building this house at that time. In 1888 Durkee sold the property to Huram Chute for $900.00 and the $1,600.00 mortgage, at this time Durkee was residing in San Diego.

Hiram Chute was a co-partner in Chute, Hall and Company. This company, located on Water Street immediately south of the Marine Railway, manufactured Church and Parlor cabinet organs. The actions for these instruments were also manufactured on the premises.

Mr. Chute had been employed with five different organ builders in the United States and later with the Annapolis Organ Co. before moving to Yarmouth.

In 1893 the co-partnership was dissolved and reopened under the name H.E. Chute and Co.

CONTEXTUAL COMMENT:

Situated at the corner of two streets, a lane runs along the west side of the property and small shrubs and a hedge surround the grounds. As in many homes in Yarmouth this house has lost its original cupola which is clearly pictured on Currie's B.E.V. Map (1889)

PRESENT OWNER: Kenneth Wheelans

ADDRESS: P.O. box 701 Yarmouth, Nova Scotia B5A 4K3

ORIGINAL OWNER: Prince H. Durkee

OCCUPATION: Clerk

BUILDER: Unknown

ORIGINAL USE: Residential (single family)

PRESENT USE: Residential (single family)

SOURCES: The Yarmouth Herald (July 9, 1883) Registry of Deeds (Yarmouth) McAlpine directory (1890)(1895) Yarmouth directory 1949 Yar. Co. Industrial file (Yarmouth Museum)