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Visitor Information Centre East

Fundy National Park of Canada, New Brunswick, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1988/07/21

General view of the Visitor Information Centre East, showing the stone facing on all the exterior walls, 1950.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, 1950.
General view
Façade of the Visitor Information Centre East, showing the central entrance porch created by the extension of the roof over the entrance, the three-bay front façade, and the gable-ended extension to the front, 1987.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, 1987.
Façade
Bird's eye view of the Visitor Information Centre East, showing the building’s picturesque design and location in an open setting which in turn emphasizes the rustic nature of the setting, c. 1980.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, c./vers 1980.
Bird's eye view

Other Name(s)

Visitor Information Centre East
Administration Building
Édifice de l’administration

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1948/01/01 to 1949/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2008/09/09

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The Visitor Information Centre East sits in a parkland setting above the mouth of the Upper Salmon River. It is a one-and-a-half storey, gable-roofed structure with exterior walls of fieldstone. Its basic rectangular plan is enlivened by front and rear projections while the roof features dormer windows of different sizes. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Visitor Information Centre East is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value
The Visitor Information Centre East is associated with Fundy National Park of Canada, the first National Park of New Brunswick. The Visitor Information Centre East is the control centre for the park management and administration.

Architectural Value
The Visitor Information Centre East is a very good example of the English cottage vernacular style. Its limited use of bold materials and construction methods established a design theme for subsequent park buildings. Built in a modest, domestic scale, as the central focus of the administration area, the building exhibits a high standard of materials and workmanship.

Environmental Value
Surrounded by lawns the Visitor Information Centre East maintains an unchanged relationship to its site. Its English-cottage vernacular style reinforces the picturesque, rustic parkland setting. The building is a familiar landmark to those who working in, and visiting the Park and the nearby Assembly Hall.

Sources: Shannon Ricketts, Assembly Hall and Administration Building, Fundy National Park, New Brunswick; Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Report 87-106 and 87-107; Administration Building, Fundy National Park, New Brunswick. Heritage Character Statement 87-106.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Visitor Information Centre East should be respected.

Its English cottage vernacular design and good quality materials and craftsmanship, for example:
- the one-and-a-half-storey rectangular massing with its the steeply-pitched gabled roof, stone chimney and dormer windows of different sizes;
- the central entrance porch created by the extension of the roof over the entrance, the three-bay front façade, and the gable-ended extensions to the front and rear;
- the stone facing on all the exterior walls;
- the original six-over-six windows and wood trim and the large multi-pane window.

The manner in which the Visitor Information Centre East maintains an unchanged relationship to its site, reinforces the picturesque parkland setting, and is a familiar landmark as evidenced by:
- the building’s picturesque design and location in an open setting which in turn emphasizes the rustic nature of the setting;
- the ongoing relationship of the building to its open site surrounded by lawns and trees;
- its visible location and function that make it a point of reference.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Federal

Recognition Authority

Government of Canada

Recognition Statute

Treasury Board Heritage Buildings Policy

Recognition Type

Recognized Federal Heritage Building

Recognition Date

1988/07/21

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Function - Category and Type

Current

Historic

Government
Office or office building

Architect / Designer

H.S. Brenan

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Indigenous Affairs and Cultural Heritage Directorate Documentation Centre 3rd Floor, room 366 30 Victoria Street Gatineau, Québec J8X 0B3

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

3112

Status

Published

Related Places

General view

Saltwater Pool and Bathhouse

The Saltwater Pool and Bathhouse is located within Fundy National Park of Canada, in New Brunswick. The Bathhouse is a single-storey, rectangular building faced on all four sides…

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