The forum, for many years having the largest seating capacity of any facility in town, has been the venue of choice for sports and entertainment spectacles in Halifax. It has hosted such acts as Reba McEntyre, Alabama and Kiss and witnessed the exploits and antics of sports heroes such as Guy Lafleur, Ken Dryden, Mohammad Ali and Hulk Hogan. It has a seating capacity of 4,600 plus for ice events and another 1,250 on the floor for non-ice events.
About as historic as Canadian Arenas get, the forum has dozens of plaques in the walkways around the perimeter of the building which relate the entire history of the arena and the happenings it has been witness to in its 90 year lifespan. For its heritage and historic value The Forum was designated a Halifax Historic Property in 2005.
See a bit of the Forum's history below.
The Halifax Forum is truly a piece of Canadiana, a cultural landmark and a part of the great heritage of Halifax. It has been the home to prizefighters, top music acts, heroes of hockey and stars of the skating world.
Built in 1927, on the ruined grounds of the Provincial Exhibition Building which was destroyed during the infamous Halifax Explosion, the Halifax Forum became the premier meeting place for sports, recreation, commerce and entertainment for decades to come.
The Halifax Forum opened its doors to the public December 26th, 1927 for a public skate on the 1st artificial ice surface East of Montreal. The Forum Complex consisted of this state of the art arena, an Industrial Building, the Cattle Shed, the Grandstand Building , a horse Race Track and its accompanying horse barns. The owner of this complex in 1948 was His Majesty the King George VI and His Majesty the King sold the land and its properties to the City of Halifax in 1948 and HRM is still the owner today.
Many prosperous years followed for the Forum and the city. Centre stage featured Reba McEntyre, Alabama, Kiss centre ice hosted Guy Lafleur’s first professional goal and centre ring saw Mohammad Ali and Hulk Hogan and the WWF for the 1st time in Nova Scotia.
Forum was home ice for Nova Scotia’s first professional hockey team the Nova Scotia Voyageurs who , as an affiliate team to the Montreal Canadiens, was the first Canadian team to win the Calder Cup in ’72,’76 and ’77. These teams featured coach Al MacNeil, Ken Dryden, Guy Carbonneau, Larry Robinson and Yvonne Lambert just to name a few.
From The Forum
Halifax Forum
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
The Halifax Forum building is a large, brick Georgian inspired structure set in a quiet location in the North End of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The building has had many additions and alterations since its construction in 1926. The heritage designation applies only to the original 1926 building.
HERITAGE VALUE
Social Value
The Halifax Forum building is valued for its use as a public space in Halifax and its association with the game of hockey. It has been used for exhibitions, athletic events, and concerts since its construction in 1926. It was erected on a lot between Young and Almon Streets, on the site of a covered yet temporary ice rink. The Forum is recognized for having hosted the first hockey game on artificial ice east of Montreal. There have also been countless historical figures that have visited the building, participated in sports activities or spoke during important events. One of the best examples of this is the hockey team the Voyagers, an American Hockey League (AHL) affiliation of the Montreal Canadians of the National Hockey League (NHL). Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Larry Robinson, Ken Dryden, and NHL stars such as Guy Carbonneau and Brian Skrudland played regularly at the Halifax Forum. The Halifax Forum building continues today to serve as a public space, hosting various events including hockey games.
Architectural Value
The Halifax Forum building is also valued for its association with Andrew Cobb. Cobb was a prolific and versatile architect who built churches, university buildings, industrial buildings and hospitals throughout Nova Scotia. Architecturally, his design of the Halifax Forum building was inspired by Georgian architectural style with its low pitched roof, balanced proportions and central doors on each wall. The exterior is red brick, though wood and concrete were also used in the construction. Over the past twenty-five years there have been many renovations and alterations to the Halifax Forum building. The most notable is a particularly large addition at the north-west end of the building attached to the arena called the Civic Arena that was originally in the main portion of the building later moved to this newer addition on the building.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
- Georgian architectural elements such as the low pitched roof, balanced proportions, central doors on each wall and white granite string course which wraps around the entire building;
- string course above and below third storey windows;
- remaining features of small windows above and below (now filled in with brick) on the Windsor Street side;
- remaining features of arched windows in both the front and rear façades with fanlight style windows above reminiscent of clerestory windows found in churches (both filled in with brick);
- remaining features of front central arched window over the entrance (now filled in with brick);
- exterior red brick with two large brick pilasters forming the entrance on the front of the façade and the rear;
- wood construction and concrete foundation of contrasting colour.
From Historic Places Canada