Description of Historic Place

Orange Hall is a three-storey brick Italianate building with Gothic arched third storey windows. It is located in the Trinity Royal Preservation Area of the City of Saint John.

Heritage Value

Orange Hall is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture and for its association with Irish heritage and culture within the City of Saint John.

Constructed in 1892 by prominent building contractor, George McArthur, this good example of Italianate architecture remained known as the Orange Hall for the next seventy years. Many of the buildings in the 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 Saint John Fire of 1877. The religious symbols are made apparent in the subtle Gothic Revival architectural influences of the building that can be seen in the sharply arched third floor windows

The heritage value of Orange Hall is also recognized due to its expression of Irish heritage and culture within the City. This building, long known as the Loyal Orange Order No.1 Verner Lodge, housed one of the oldest L.O.L. units in Canada. Instituted in 1831, this unit was one of the first civilian Lodges to be formed in New Brunswick. Its association with the Orange Order of Saint John continued until 1968, when the Verner Lodge amalgamated with other city lodges.

Orange Hall housed several other social and cultural organizations that also maintained strong religious affiliations. These organizations included the Church of England Institute, the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge, the Religious Tract Society and the Saint John Oratio Society.

Source: Planning and Development Department - City of Saint John

Character-Defining Elements

The character defining elements that describe Orange Hall include:
- rectangular 3-storey massing;
- proportioned window placement;
- band of sandstone connecting the sandstone Gothic arches above the third storey windows;
- vertical sliding, 1/1, wood windows;
- Gothic arch windows along the third storey with crisscrossing muntins in the peaked transoms;
- stone cornice;
- date of "1690-1892" carved in sandstone, signifying the founding of the Orange Order and the building's construction;
- sandstone lintels and sills;
- wooden pilasters and decorative brackets on either side of the entryway.