Charles Macdonald Concrete House Museum, Heritage museum in Kings County, Canada.
The Charles Macdonald Concrete House is a two-storey residence in Centreville, Kings County, Nova Scotia, built entirely of reinforced concrete in 1910. Its interior uses concrete for the central hearth, which is adorned with bas-relief paintings, as well as for the stairs and the bathtub. Outside, a concrete fence, concrete garden sculptures and decorative concrete animals surround the house.
Charles Macdonald built the reinforced concrete structure in 1910 as a one-storey factory for his company Kentville Concrete. In 1916, after marrying Mabel Misner, he converted it into a two-storey residence and moved the factory to nearby Brooklyn Street. The house passed to the community of Centreville when Macdonald died on May 28, 1967, and was designated a Provincially Registered Heritage Property in 1998.
The residence reflects how Charles and Mabel Macdonald explored concrete as an artistic medium in rural Nova Scotia during the mid-20th century. Their handmade sculptures and woven textiles throughout the rooms tell stories of local craftsmanship and domestic life from that era.
The museum opens seasonally and admission is free. It is run by the Charles Macdonald House of Centreville Society, which took over the property in 1995 after local heritage supporters raised funds to buy it from the town. Inside, look for Mabel Macdonald's hooked rugs displayed alongside her husband's artwork.
Nearly every feature inside, from stairs to the bathtub, was made from poured or cast concrete, creating an unusual example of handmade residential concrete construction. The central fireplace features bas-relief paintings that showcase how the owner blended artistic details into everyday functional elements.
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