Africville Building Permit Application No. 03991

Africville Building Permit Application No. 03991

This is a 1957 building permit application submitted by Matilda Newman, a resident of Africville. The permit, approved by the City of Halifax’s Office of the Building Inspector, is a record of Newman’s request “to occupy” a building within the community for her grocery and confectionary store. This document provides important evidence of Africville residents’ agency and their determination to maintain a strong community through their homes, property, and businesses, despite ongoing neglect by city authorities. It reflects how residents like Newman sought to grow and improve their community’s economy, a direct counterpoint to later claims, made by the city of Halifax, that Africville was a “slum”.

Office of the Building Inspector

Africville Building Permits and Applications

Halifax Municipal Archives

18 June, 1957

Halifax Municipal Archives