Quinn House

City
Halifax
County
Halifax County
Province
Nova Scotia
Property Type
Private Residence
Herititage Designation
None
Public Access
Yes
Construction Details
Construction Date: ??-??-1912
Current Owner
John & Cynthia McDonald

This property was sold in 1929 to George K. Matter, father of the previous owner Charlotte Matter. Mrs. Matter’s father bought the house from Senator Owen Quinn, son of Felix P. Quinn, a native Irishman and manufacturer of Ginger Beer in Halifax.

The hand painted wall frieze in dining room was done for Senator Owen Quinn sometime in the 1920s. The artist is unknown (itinerant). The series of paintings depict classic scenes from Ireland , including a picturesque scene of Blarney’s Castle.

The home is now owned by Mr and Mrs McDonald. (Joyce McCulloch’s notes) Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia, under the leadership of member Joyce McColloch, arranged funding to repair and conserve a section of the wall painting that was damaged by a water leak from the second story bathroom.

Michelle Gallinger, an experienced conservator and board member, was brought in complete the task and over the course of a two week period, her painstaking work to restore and conserve the damaged area of the mural was documented by video.

This resulted in the creation of a DVD documentary entitled Rooms With A View: The conservation of the unique painted walls in Nova Scotia.

Dining Room – West wall. Photograph by Leeann Roy (2008).
Building ID: 15
Image ID: 196
Format: IMAGE
Author: Leeann Roy (2008)

Dining Room – West wall. Left corner detail. This section of the painted surface was restored in 2004 by conservator Michelle Gallinger.
Building ID: 15
Image ID: 197
Format: IMAGE
Author: Leeann Roy (2008)

Dining Room – West wall. Right corner detail.
Building ID: 15
Image ID: 198
Format: IMAGE
Author: Leeann Roy (2008)

Dining Room – North West corner. Detail.
Building ID: 15
Image ID: 199
Format: IMAGE
Author: Leeann Roy (2008).

Name
Occupation
Dates
Owen Quinn
Senator
From: Unknown to ??-??-1929
George K. Mattar
From: ??-??-1929 to Unknown
Charlotte Mattar
From: Unknown to Unknown
Title
Author
Publisher
Doc Date
Doc Comments
Doc Type
Rooms With A View: The conservation of the unique painted walls in Nova Scotia
Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia
Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia/Sea Bright Productions
2004
DVD of the restoration of the painted interior. Conservation by Michelle Gallinger.
Additional Photographic Documentation
Leeann Roy
Leeann Roy
2008
Start Menu – Pictures – Painted Rooms, Halifax, NS. This folder contains the original and resized photographic documentation. All photographs have also been copied to CD. The Quinn House photos can be found on a CD entitled Painted Rooms 2008 – Photo documentation CD 1. This CD should remain in the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia office.
Interior Decorative Painting in Nova Scotia
Cora Greenaway
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
1986
This property is listed as # 49 in the catalogue.
Plan Image
Plan Date
Plan ID
Plan PDF
2008
9
Room Name
Comment
Room Id
Building Id
Dining Room
The family dining room is situated at a very North-West corner of the home, on the first floor. The South wall of the dining room has two large doors which open to the main hallway and the kitchen. The North and West walls are both pieced by large windows of similar portortion. The East wall has a large double-door opening that leads to the family living room. The room is approximately 11 1/2 feet x 13 1/2 feet. The painted surface, which acts as a decorative border or wall frieze, flanks the ceiling an extends about 3 1/2 feet down.
8
15