Description of Historic Place
The Gulf Fisheries Centre is situated among other institutional buildings in downtown Moncton. The plain, formal five-storey building forms an elongated rectangle with a modestly projecting frontispiece, salient wings and a flat roof. Virtually devoid of decoration the simplicity of the façade is distinguished by its planar quality. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.
Heritage Value
The Gulf Fisheries Centre is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.
Historical Value
The Gulf Fisheries Centre is closely associated with post-secondary education for Acadian women within their own cultural context. It was built as College Notre-Dame d’Acadie, a college and boarding school for Acadian girls founded and run by the Sisters of Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Coeur, that closed in 1965. Soeur Bella-Marie Léger founded the college and served as principal until 1954. She was appointed Member of the Order of Canada in 1989. The Acadian writer Antonine Maillet was a distinguished graduate. Renovated in 1982 to house the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, it is now also associated with the Federal Government’s Atlantic fisheries program.
Architectural Value
The Gulf Fisheries Centre is an example of institutional architecture. Its monumentality, its symmetry, the regular fenestration and the unadorned façades are typical of educational institutions, hospitals and government buildings from the mid-1930s to about 1950.
Environmental Value
The Gulf Fisheries Centre is compatible with the residential, institutional and industrial area of downtown Moncton among other institutional buildings such as the Hôpital Georges-Dumont and the Université de Moncton. The building is a conspicuous landmark in downtown Moncton and familiar within the city.
Sources: Katherine Spenser-Ross, Gulf Fisheries Centre, 343 Archibald Street, Moncton, New Brunswick, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Report 93-127; Gulf Fisheries Centre, 343 Archibald Street, Moncton, New Brunswick. Heritage Character Statement 93-127.
Character-Defining Elements
The character-defining elements of the Gulf Fisheries Centre should be respected.
Its aesthetic and good quality materials and craftsmanship, for example:
- the monumental, symmetrical massing of the concrete structure with its elongated five-storey rectangular shape, modestly projecting frontispiece, projecting wings and flat roof;
- the planar quality of the simple façade of local limestone with minimal decoration;
- the principal entrance centered on the modestly pedimented frontispiece;
- the abundant and regular fenestration with its strong vertical emphasis and grid-like pattern that articulates functions of the building’s interior;
- the interior layout including the central corridors, four original stairwells and converted chapel, and also the simple wood door and window mouldings.
The manner in which the Gulf Fisheries Centre is compatible with the residential, institutional, and industrial area of downtown Moncton and also the building’s role as a prominent local landmark as evidenced by:
- its location amongst other institutions such as the Hôpital Georges-Dumont and the Université de Moncton;
- its size, formality, and profile that house government services in the area.
Location of Supporting Documentation
National Historic Sites Directorate, Documentation Centre, 5th Floor, Room 89, 25 Eddy Street, Gatineau, Quebec
Cross-Reference to Collection
Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier
6446
Status
Published
Related Places
n/a