Description of Historic Place

The Knox & Thompson Building is a three-storey brick Italianate building with extensive brick detailing and sandstone arch window headers. It is located on Princess Street within the Trinity Royal Preservation Area of the City of Saint John.

Heritage Value

The Knox & Thompson Building is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture and for its association with its former owners.

The Knox & Thompson Building is one of a collection of commercial Italianate buildings that were built between 1877 and 1881 after two thirds of the City of Saint John was destroyed by fire in 1877. As a vibrant commercial district, Princess Street served as the location for several prominent businesses and industries in Saint John. Built in 1879, the Knox & Thompson Building is a good example of commercial Italianate architecture form the rebuilding period in Saint John after the fire. The Italianate style is evident in the use of segmented arch openings, the elaborate brick cornice and the overall symmetry of the front façade. The use of brick and the quality of the workmanship in this building represent the will for the city to rebuild, as well or better, after the fire.

The Knox & Thompson Building is recognized for its association with the persons and business of James Knox and William Thompson. Knox and Thompson established a cabinet making business in 1848. Following the Great Saint John Fire of 1877, the two men had this structure built on Princess Street for the purpose of operating their store and workshop. The extent of its trade continued to grow during the 19th century until it spanned throughout New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. By 1887, it was known as the oldest and one of the most prominent cabinet making businesses in the City. Their stock was primarily produced on site and consisted of a wide assortment of cabinets and furniture, including drawing and dining room suites, mahogany, cherry and ash side boards, dining tables, bedroom sets, wardrobes, book cases, davenports, chiffoniers and much more. The business continued to operate from this location for over 20 years until 1899.

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

Character-Defining Elements

The character defining elements that describe the Italianate architecture of the Knox & Thompson Building include:
- rectangular three-storey massing;
- exterior brick walls;
- cornice ornamented by brick corbel bands with a band of decorative brick below;
- segmented arch, vertical sliding, 2 over 2, wooden windows;
- sandstone segmented arches and recessed, decorative brickwork over windows;
- bands of sandstone forming the sills of the second and third storey windows;
- central brick pilaster ending in a corbel stop;
- two brick pilasters flanking the ends of the front façade;
- ground-level storefront with a cornice, fascia, recessed entrances and large storefront windows.