The Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame came into existence through the work of J.E. (Gee) Ahern, the mayor of Halifax in the 1950's, Earl Morton, Harry Butler and Alex Nickerson. The Hall was initiated in response to Kingston Ontario's claim on the origin of hockey as Ahern believed that James G.A. Creighton of Halifax had taken the original rules called the Halifax rules to McGill University in Montreal. Ahern felt that there should be recognition. After an in-depth look at all aspects of sport in Nova Scotia it was decided to broaden the original concept and develop the Hall of Fame to honour all sports and a Board of Directors was appointed in 1958. The Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame was officially opened on November 3rd, 1964 at the Industrial Building at the Halifax Forum complex.
In 1976 the title changed from Sport NS Hall of Fame to the Nova Scotia Sport Heritage Centre and the task was taken up to find a permanent home. Over the next two years setbacks and obstacles were encountered and progress was slow. The Board nevertheless decided in November 1979 to hold the first induction ceremony the following year. On September 20, 1980 the first Induction Dinner was held at the Hotel Nova Scotian.
The year 1988 produced another link in the evolution of the Nova Scotia Sport Heritage Centre. The location at the brewery market was so successful that a new facility was needed to meet demand. The new location was in the World Trade and Convention Centre located directly across from the Metro Centre Box Office. The opening took place on December 8, 1988 by Greg Kerr, Finance Minister of the province.
The Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame continues it commitment to the sport history and celebration of achievements of our outstanding athletes, teams and builders in the same spirit as J.E. (Gee) Ahern started nearly 50 years ago. |
In 1975 the Hall of Fame was put under the authority of Sport Nova Scotia. At this time the name was changed to Sport N.S. Hall of Fame. The artifacts and other material were moved from the Halifax Forum to the Sport Nova Scotia offices in December of 1975. The materials remained in storage for two years until they were displayed at Sport NS on Spring Garden Road in Halifax.
In September, 1981 the Department of Culture, Recreation and Fitness announced the new location of the Nova Scotia Sport Heritage Centre. The government guaranteed the rent for a permanent facility in the Brewery Market on Lower Water St. in Halifax. Planning the new facility and funding became the new focus of the NSSHC. The new facility would not be ready to open until 1983. The opening of the new facility coincided with the fourth induction dinner held at the Hotel Nova Scotian. The Heritage Centre was very successful at the new location and many individuals made the visit to the Centre between its opening in 1983 and 1988.
The NSSHC continued to flourish and grow over the subsequent years. New areas of
fundraising and research grew from the board of directors and full time staff
associated with the Centre over the years. In one more evolutionary step, the
NSSHC began strategic planning for the development of another new site. The
space at the Metro Centre, like the Brewery Market before, once again was
becoming limited due to the growth of the Centre. In the spring of 1995, the
Nova Scotia Sport Heritage Centre moved to the Centennial Building at the corner
of Sackville and Granville Streets with more displays and interactive
components. In March of 2005, with the vision of a new and improved facility,
the Hall of Fame moved its administrative offices to the World Trade and
Convention Centre to prepare for the new Hall of Fame opening in the mezzanine
level of the Halifax Metro Centre.