Description of Historic Place

McArthur Apartments is a 7-storey brick Italianate building located on Germain Street within the Trinity Royal Preservation Area of the City of Saint John.

Heritage Value

McArthur Apartments is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture and its association with George McArthur.

Many of the buildings in the residential district of Germain street were constructed in the latter part of the 19th Century or early 20th Century as all the older buildings were destroyed in the 1877 fire. McArthur Apartments is a good example of a 7-storey brick Italianate building built in 1921.

McArthur Apartments is also recognized through its association with George McArthur. After a fire destroyed the first building on this site in 1918, George McArthur purchased the land from the previous owner and constructed a seven storey apartment complex in its place in 1921. McArthur, a very prominent building contractor, took up residence at the apartments soon after its construction. Tracing his ancestry to some of the first Irish immigrants in Saint John, McArthur also became well known for his espousal of Irish heritage in the City. His efforts resulted in the erection of the Celtic Cross on Partridge Island that commemorated Irish immigrants. He remained at the McArthur Apartments until his death in 1932.

McArthur Apartments was recognized in the City of Saint John Preservation Areas Bylaw in 1982.

Source: Planning and Development Department-City of Saint John

Character-Defining Elements

The character defining elements that define this Italianate building include:
- building height and width proportions;
- window placement and proportions;
- cornice supported by regularly placed wooden brackets;
- vertical sliding windows with sandstone lintels;
- decorative brick band directly above third floor windows;
- Roman arched entablature with pronounced keystone over entry, supported by polished granite Corinthian columns;
- “The McArthur” etched in the sandstone base of the columns;
- slender cast iron, Corinthian columns on either side of doorway;
- thick sandstone plinth band.