Description of Historic Place

The Former Canadian Pacific Railway Station is a long, single-storey Craftsman style railway station building featuring an overhanging roof and a flush gable on the front façade. It is located on King Street in St. Stephen.

Heritage Value

The Former Canadian Pacific Railway Station is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture and for the various ways in which it has served the community.

The Former Canadian Pacific Railway Station is recognized for being a good example of the Craftsman style of architecture employed by railways throughout Canada during the late-19th century and early-20th century. This station was built in 1929 by the Robert Ed. Company, general contractors, Moncton, New Brunswick, to replace the old station that was erected following the fire of 1877. The old station at the time was the head office for the New Brunswick and Canada Railroad and was one of the oldest stations on this division of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The current single-storey building is made of brick and stone, the upper portion of brick being covered with stucco finish and the lower part featuring three feet of native granite. The traditionally long and low building exhibits features that reflect the more grandiose architecture of earlier Chateau-style stations. These features include a steeply-pitched flush gable on the front façade and the multi-levelled hipped roofs.

The Former Canadian Pacific Railway Station is also recognized for its role as a transportation hub in the community. The station served the community for thirty-one years. On April 14th, 1960, Engine #986 was the last train to leave St. Stephen for McAdam, New Brunswick. The Engineer was George Anderson and the Conductor was Denny McGee. The Canadian Pacific Railway continued to occupy the building until 1969.

The Former Canadian Pacific Railway Station continued to serve the community after its use by the Canadian Pacific Railway. The Town of St. Stephen acquired the building and opened the St. Croix Public Library in 1971. The library moved to new quarters in 1999 and the building is now occupied by a provincial Visitors Information Centre.

Source: St. Stephen Town Hall - Historical Places file “Former CPR Station”

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe the Former Canadian Pacific Railway Station include:
- single-storey long rectangular plan;
- stone quoins, window headers, sills and foundation wall;
- heavy knee braces under a wide overhanging eave;
- central projecting bay with a steep gable roof and flush eaves;
- lancet, rectangular and segmented arch windows, mostly multi-light ;
- stucco wall covering;
- square stone chimney;
- multi-level hipped roof.