The Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame announced Wednesday that it will soon have a new address.
The hall, which has been located at the World Trade and Convention Centre in Halifax for the past 15 years, is set to close its doors on Sept. 30.
The Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit organization and registered charity, providing a free museum, free education programming and a collection recording Nova Scotia’s sport heritage that is fully accessible online.
“We were unable to come to terms on a new lease with our landlord, Armco Capital,” hall CEO Bruce Rainnie said in a press release.
“It’s unfortunate because we’ve really enjoyed our time here. That being said, we are fully committed to finding a bigger and better location and intend to emerge from this as the finest Hall of its kind in the country.”
Rainnie told Global News that Armco Capital looked to increase the rent the hall pays monthly by a “substantial amount.”
“Our whole staff and whole board became uncomfortable with that, especially with the onset of COVID-19 and our inability to generate funds in traditional charitable ways like golf tournament or dinners or charity bingos,” he said.
Rainnie said the hall is now emptied of all artifacts and the search for a new location has begun, with a few potential sites being currently explored.
In the meantime, the hall will exist virtually at nsshf.com, where all artifacts, inductees, staff contact information and programming can be found.
According to Rainnie, the hall will continue to offer its Future Hall of Famers education program to students across the province, and the annual Induction Night is scheduled to return in November 2021.
“We will continue to honour and preserve the legacies of Nova Scotians who have made a significant contribution to sport in the province,” said Rainnie. “And we will continue to make sure these stories are told to Nova Scotia youth, so that they may see what can be accomplished with hard work and a healthy dose of humility.”
Global News has reached out to Armco Capital for comment but did not get a response by the time this article was published.