Description of Historic Place

Old Provincial Building, built circa 1893, is a three and half storey brick Italianate-Style commercial building located on Canterbury Street with a facade on Princess Street in the City of Saint John.

Heritage Value

Old Provincial Building is designated as a local historic place for its architecture, its role in the hospitality industry of Saint John during the last decade of the 19th century and its role in the juridical system in the Province of New Brunswick.

Built in circa 1893, the Old Provincial Building is a good example of a three and half storey brick Italianate-Style commercial building with Roman elements on the façade. Its importance relating to the hospitality industry in the early 1800's relates to its hosting of everyone from important dignitaries to commercial travellers and tourists. It was named Hotel Aberdeen in 1894, for the visit of Lady and Lord Aberdeen. In the late 1800’s, this hotel became a hub for tourists and commercial travellers arriving by rail and by sea to Saint John and the Maritimes.

In 1902, the Old Provincial Building became home for the Supreme Court Chambers, Judge in Equity Chambers, County Court Chambers, Probate Court Chambers and the Law Library. Founded in 1892, the first New Brunswick School of Law moved to the Law Library the same year. It is known now as the Faculty of Law at the University of New Brunswick. The Law Library remained in this building until 1953 and the Courtrooms remained until circa 1960.

Source: Planning and Development Department - City of Saint John.

Character-Defining Elements

The character defining elements of the structure that are reminiscent of its role in the hospitality industry and the evolution of law include:
- double wooden doors with window;
- elaborate sandstone Roman arches above the doorway and adjacent windows on each side;
- window sashes with roman arches;
- Roman arch transom above the doorway;
- ‘PROVINCIAL BUILDING’ engraved into Roman arch over the doorway;
- doric columns supporting the Roman arch above the doorway;
- continuation of the arches over door and adjacent windows;
- second floor rectangular windows and lower floor windows at ends with flat rectangular lintels;
- upper floor with three Roman arch openings with Roman arch windows;
- projected brick course through upper floor runs through the entire width of the building on both facades shaping in Roman arches over the windows;
- projecting roof-line cornice;
- same set-back along sidewalk as the neighbouring buildings;
- plaque recognizing the property as New Brunswick's first School of Law.

The character defining elements of the commercial construction of the building include:
- wooden door with window;
- Roman arches above the entrance and continuous run of arches over adjacent windows and another entrance;
- Roman arch transom windows over the two Princess Street entrances;
- Roman arch above the doorway supported by cylindrical columns set upon sandstone blocks;
- single sash Roman arch windows;
- second and third floor windows rectangular with flat rectangular headers;
- Roman arch windows with Roman arch sashes on the upper floor;
- extra storey on the Princess Street façade because of the steep slope.