Description of Historic Place

The Intercolonial Railway Ticket Office is a four-storey brick Italianate office building with storefront located on Prince William Street within the Trinity Royal area of the City of Saint John.

Heritage Value

The Intercolonial Railway Ticket Office is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture, for its association with the Intercolonial Railway and for its association with George Philps.

The Intercolonial Railway Ticket Office is recognized for its architecture. Built circa 1878, this four-storey brick Italianate office building with storefront is an expression of the significance of the rebuilding of the Saint John commercial district after the Great Saint John Fire of 1877 which destroyed two-thirds of the city. This building is one of a collection of commercial and residential, Italianate and Second Empire buildings that were built between 1877 and 1881. The brick architecture sent a message that the city would be more fire resistant in the future.

The Intercolonial Railway Ticket Office is also recognized for its association with the Intercolonial Railway. From 1883 until 1909, this was the Intercolonial Railway (ICR) Ticket Office. The construction of the Intercolonial Railway between Quebec and Halifax was a part of the terms of the British North America Act, 1867, by which the provinces were united under one government. The main line of the Intercolonial was 903 kilometres in length and ran from Halifax to Rivière-du-Loup. In Rivière-du-Loup, it connected with the Grand Trunk Railroad. Many branches came from this important line including a 143 kilometre branch to Saint John. It was the only rail line that connected Montreal to the extreme points of the Maritime Provinces.

The Intercolonial Railway Ticket Office is also recognized for its long time association with George Philps. One of the original occupants of the building, George Philps was a banker, broker, and ticket agent here until 1909. He was a ticket agent primarily for the Intercolonial Railway but was later a ticket agent for a number of other rail and steamship companies.

Source: Planning and Development Department - City of Saint John

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe the Italianate architecture of the Intercolonial Railway Ticket Office include:
- proportioned height and width for the building;
- balanced window and entrance placement;
- three bay front façade separated by brick pilasters through second and third storeys;
- projecting cornice with brick brackets;
- brick corbel bands;
- series of Roman arch openings in upper storey;
- segmented arch openings and windows in third storey;
- vertical sliding wood windows;
- segmented arch openings in second storey;
- continuous sandstone window sills.

The character-defining elements relating to the storefront include:
- cornice with end brackets;
- brick design in fascia;
- cast iron pilasters;
- three large plate glass windows with wooden transoms;
- wooden bulkheads in storefront;
- entrance with glass-panel wooden door, transom window and sidelights.