Stories Above All

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Richmond Yards Mural: Stories Above All

Completed in 2025, Stories Above All is a 110-foot (10-story) mural that rises along the side of one of the new towers at Richmond Yards in Halifax’s North End. Designed as a large-scale photo montage rather than a painted mural, it pays tribute to the industrial and cultural legacy of the neighbourhood—one defined by resilience, tight-knit community, and transformation.

Located on the former site of Acadian Bus Lines and visible from the historic Bloomfield School, the mural is a visual timeline of the North End. At its base, archival images from the 1800s showcase the Acadia Sugar Refinery and Dominion Textile Company. Moving upward, it traces the aftermath of the Halifax Explosion with images of 1918 temporary housing, the construction of the Hydrostone in the 1920s, tram routes, and the former Exhibition Grounds.

Midway through, the mural captures the pulse of community life in the 1940s and 50s—featuring trolley scenes, the Olympic Gardens Ballroom, and the Halifax Forum. The 1960s spotlight events at the Forum including curling and wrestling, along with Olympic Taxi and a thoughtful reflection on Africville—the once-thriving African Nova Scotian community whose legacy remains a vital part of the North End’s story.

The mural also features an image of Lone Cloud—a Mi’kmaq guide, performer, and spiritual leader—rendered by renowned Mi’kmaq artist Alan Syliboy, one of the most influential Indigenous artists in Canada. This inclusion serves as an important acknowledgment of the Mi’kmaq presence on these lands, past and present.

The final tiers highlight more recent history, from the 1980s to today, with visuals of Acadian Bus Lines and the Halifax Explosion Memorial Bell Tower.

Crowning the mural is its title: Stories Above All—a phrase that serves as both a literal reference to the mural’s height and a celebration of the layered human histories that continue to shape the North End.

The mural was concepted and designed by Halifax-based designer Adam MacKenzie of Sperry Design, whose work focuses on place-based storytelling and meaningful visual narratives that honour community, history, and identity.

Richmond Yards is a development by Westwood Developments, a company known for creating innovative, community-focused spaces that contribute to the urban and cultural fabric of Halifax. Their vision for Richmond Yards as a vibrant, mixed-use neighbourhood reflects a deep respect for the history of the North End while looking confidently toward the future.

Special Thanks to our Contributors

Junita Peters
Juanita Peters is a playwright, actor and film director. Peters has over 40 years of media experience. Her early career included radio and television host/reporter for various networks including CBC NB and AVR. She is a member of ACTRA, Writers Guild of Canada (WGC), Actors Equity (CAEA), Directors Guild of Canada (DGC), Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre (PARC) and a founding member of Women In Film & Television Atlantic (WIFT-AT.) Juanita is also the Executive Director of the Africville Museum in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Stephen Archibald
Stephen Archibald’s working career was spent at the Nova Scotia Museum, engaged in projects as varied as the early development of Sherbooke Village, the planning of the Maritime Museum, and managing the Interpretation Program at the Museum of Natural History. In his lengthy retirement Stephen has embraced social media and blogging as a way to celebrate little treasures noticed in Nova Scotia’s natural and cultural landscapes. Today he is known as @Cove17 and from the Noticed in Nova Scotia blog on Halifax Bloggers.

Don and Devonna Edwards
Don is President and a Board Executive of the Fairview Historical Society. His wife Devonna is the Archivist for the Fairview Historical Society. Don and Devonna also co-authored “The Little Dutch Village” a fascinating account of the village through vintage photos that focuses on Historic Halifax West, Armdale & Fairview.

Don Artz
Don worked for the Halifax Transit Corporation (later Metro Transit), where he became chief inspector. His life-long love of Halifax’s tram cars led him to co-author of Halifax Street Railway 1866-1949. Don lives in Enfield, Nova Scotia.

Marilyn Davidson Elliott
Marilyn Davidson Elliott is an author and historian. Her book “The Blind Mechanic” is a tribute to her father, Eric Davidson, who was blinded in the 1917 Halifax Explosion, and overcame his handicap to have a successful career as an auto mechanic. Marilyn grew up in the Richmond neighbourhood of north end Halifax and advocates for the designation of Richmond as a Heritage Conservation District in Halifax. Marilyn was a member of the Halifax Explosion 100th Anniversary Advisory Committee. She liases with HRM Parks staff for maintenance of Fort Needham Memorial Park gardens and the mass graves of Halifax Explosion victims. 

David B. Flemming
David B. Flemming was a distinguished Canadian heritage advocate and historian, deeply rooted in Halifax’s North End, where he spent much of his life. His passion for history was sparked in childhood while living on Agricola Street, evolving into a lifelong dedication to preserving the city’s rich historical and maritime legacy.

A graduate of Saint Mary’s University, Flemming devoted his career to preserving and promoting Canadian history. He worked with National Historic Sites (Parks Canada) and later served as Director of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

Flemming was a leading voice on the Halifax Explosion and Titanic history, contributing to exhibitions, publications, and conferences.

He also served as President of Heritage Ottawa for nine years and was a tireless advocate for heritage conservation. His efforts earned him the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Louise & Eric Moore Award for Outstanding Volunteerism.

Andrew Blackburn
Andrew Blackburn, a resident of Clifton NS, has a life-long interest in the history of railways in Nova Scotia. He has collected images and railway artifacts to preserve the memories of another time. As well as being involved with various museums to create displays using some of his artifacts, he enjoys uncovering information to assist other collectors and the public to better understand how the railways were constructed and operated.

Alan Syliboy
Alan Syliboy grew up believing that native art was generic.  “As a youth, I found painting difficult and painful, because I was unsure of my identity.”  But his confidence grew in 1972 when he studied privately with Shirley Bear.  He then attended the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, where 25 years later, he was invited to sit on the Board of Governors.  Syliboy looked to the indigenous Mi’kmaq petroglyph tradition for inspiration and developed his own artistic vocabulary out of those forms.  His popularization of these symbolic icons has conferred on them a mainstream legitimacy that restores community pride in its Mi’kmaq heritage.

He has shown his work in numerous group and solo exhibits all over the world, from Europe to Japan, as well as in Canada and the United States.  In 1999, he was commissioned to design a 22kt $200.00 gold coin for the Royal Canadian Mint.  In 2009, he was selected to participate in the Vancouver 2010 Venues Aboriginal Art Program at the 2010 Winter Olympics in BC, Canada, for which he produced several unique projects including a ninety-six-foot mural, a six-foot Coca Cola Bottle, as well as a fifteen-foot sculpture, a collaborative work between he and nine other artists.  Later that year, he had the opportunity to present a portrait of Grand Chief Membertou to Queen Elizabeth II on her 22nd visit to Halifax, NS.  His 2010 Film, “Little Thunder”, an animated collaboration between Syliboy, Director Nance Ackerman and Animator Paton Francis has been screened at numerous Film Festivals, and received the Best Animation Film Award at the First Peoples Festival in Montreal.  In 2010, he was short-listed for the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterwork Arts Award.  In 2011 Alan launched “The Dream Canoe” Animation. In 2012 Alan was elected to the Board of Directors for the East Coast Music Awards.  Alan’s band Lone Cloud won the 2013 ECMA award for “Best Aboriginal Album”. Alan’s new band, Alan Syliboy & The Thundermakers have won numerous awards, and are in high demand on the Maritime concert circuit performing at 30-40 shows each year.

Alan’s highlight from many other activities was his 2013 mural installation at the Halifax International Airport. In 2014 Alan’s Thundermaker exhibit was short-listed for the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterworks of Art Award.  In 2016 Alan was named 2016 Coady Chair in Social Justice at StFX University. Also, in 2016 My book, “The Thundermaker", has been shortlisted and is in contention to become the First Nation Communities Read community reading selection for 2016-2017. Alan has authored five subsequent titles all available through Nimbus Publishing Halifax Nova Scotia.

Alan has continued to receive many high level awards, from the 2024 Portia White Prize to the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal  in 2022.

Alan still lives and works in Millbrook, NS, where he was born and raised.  He creates art in his studio at 42 Legend Ave. Millbrook Nova Scotia

Chris & Taso Fasoulis

Bill Linley

Halifax Municipal Archives

Nova Scotia Archives

Library Archives Canada