Description of Historic Place

Vroom and Arnold Building is a four-storey brick Italianate commercial and residential building. It is located on Prince William Street within the Trinity Royal Heritage Preservation Area in Saint John.

Heritage Value

Vroom and Arnold Building is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture, its association with insurance agencies and restaurants and for being one of a group of ten buildings restored in the 1980s.

Vroom and Arnold Building is one of a collection of Italianate and Second Empire buildings that were built between 1877 and 1881 as part of Saint John’s rebuilding efforts after the Great Saint John Fire of 1877. It is a good example of a four-storey brick Italianate commercial and residential building. It contained offices at the ground level and residences above.

Vroom and Arnold Building is also recognized through its association with insurance agencies, Ship broker John F. Marsters had his office in this building from 1882 to 1900. Saint John had a greater need for insurance agencies than most places in Canada because of their shipping industry.

Vroom and Arnold Building also served as a restaurant from 1883 until 1887. It was the Robert J. Lang Dining Saloon from 1883 until 1886 and Charles Hill operated a restaurant here in 1887.

The best known occupant of this building was the insurance firm of Vroom and Arnold. Vroom and Arnold were marine and general insurance agents and they operated from this location for 17 years from 1892 to 1909. William Ezra Vroom worked for the Bank of New Brunswick and was later chief clerk for the Hon. John Robertson before forming a partnership with Reginald Heber Arnold in 1869. Another long term agent that operated from this building was Thomas B. Lavers from 1891 to 1906.

Vroom and Arnold Building is also recognized for being one of ten buildings that were owned by the City of Saint John that were in serious consideration of demolition. A call for proposals in the early 1980’s allowed purchasers to obtain these ten Prince William Street properties at a nominal amount provided they restore them to their original conditions. The restoration was a success and within a few years some of these buildings, such as the building in question, became a part of Canada’s first National Historic Streetscape.

Source: Planning and Development Department - City of Saint John

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe Vroom and Arnold building include:
- rectangular 4-storey massing that fills the entire width of the lot;
- brick and sandstone detail;
- vertical sliding wood windows;
- segmented arch openings in 2nd and 4th storey and rectangular openings in 3rd storey;
- sandstone tracery runs side to side through the facade in each storey under arches;
- sandstone sills run continuously across the facade;
- sandstone tracery runs above the upper storey windows;
- dentils at roof-line cornice;
- corbel bands at roof-line cornice;
- recessed panels between each corbel;
- sandstone keystones with etched design on 4th floor;
- each of the top 3 storeys with four paired windows;
- painted design between each paired window;
- paired windows on 2nd and 3rd storey are surmounted by single segmented arch per pair;
- design in the tympanum between the arches and the openings in 3rd storey;
- second storey openings have sandstone keystones;
- five cast iron pilasters and four brick pilasters with Corinthian capitals in storefront;
- entrances with transom windows;
- recessed entranceways;
- moulded storefront cornice.