Description of Historic Place

The Eaton Building is a vernacular interpretation of commercial Italianate architecture from the late 19th century. This two-storey brick building is located on Milltown Boulevard in St. Stephen.

Heritage Value

The Eaton Building is designated a Local historic Place for its architecture and for its association with its former occupants. This two-storey brick building was constructed for Charles H. Eaton of Milltown, New Brunswick, in 1882. The contractor was Joseph Rockwood of Calais, Maine. It is an example of Italianate-inspired commercial vernacular architecture. The Italianate influence is evident in such features as the segmented arch window openings and the corbelled roofline cornice.

The first floor of the building has been occupied by several businesses. The Castle Hall for the Knights of Pythias and Eaton Hall were located on the second floor. In 1927, the building was occupied by the Royal Bank of Canada, Speedy & Little, Grocers, and Frank Sherman, Druggist. Harry R. Haley closed his drug store at Hack's Corner and moved to the Eaton Building which he had purchased from Frank Sherman. In 1936, the Haley's purchased the grocery business of Roy Speedy. The Haley family operated a drug store in Milltown, New Brunswick, for 78 years and this was their first venture in the grocery and meat business. The business was closed in 1973. The new owners, Jack and Tina Reid, occupied the building until 1983.

Sources: St. Stephen Town Hall - Historic Places file “Eaton Building”

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe the Eaton building include:
- rectangular two-storey massing;
- red brick exterior walls;
- roofline cornice with corbelled brick brackets and dentils;
- segmented arch window and door openings;
- granite window sills;
- Knights of Pythias initials under the cornice;
- sandstone date stone;
- relatively flat roof with minor slope.