Description of Historic Place

This four-storey brick and stone structure, formerly the head office for the New Brunswick Electric Power Commission, occupies a lot on the north side of King Street near the corner of Carleton Street. John L. Feeney’s building design reflects a fusion of Modern Classical and Art Moderne elements. The Fredericton contracting firm, MacPherson and Myles, constructed this building upon Feeney’s design.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Former New Brunswick Electric Power Commission Building is vested not only in its architectural style but in its representation of local design and building skill. John L. Feeney became City Engineer for the City of Fredericton in 1910 during the last year of his civil engineering degree. He left that position two years later, after being appointed to the Dominion Engineering Department, necessitating a move to Saint John. In 1925, Mr. Feeney began his career with the New Brunswick Electric Power Commission, finally becoming their chief engineer in 1951. The Commission’s head office had been located at Saint John, but when it was decided to move the operation to Fredericton, John L. Feeney designed the building for the new headquarters in Fredericton.

The Modern Classical design of the Former New Brunswick Electric Power Commission Building reflects architectural simplicity, a sign of the economic and designing times. This building was constructed by local contracting firm, MacPherson and Myles, and was completed in the fall of 1949. The building was divided into two sections, a front unit and a rear annex. The rear portion of the building originally stood three storeys tall, designed to accommodate a fourth storey at a later date.

Source: City of Fredericton, Local Historic Places Files

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements relating to the Modern Classical style of the Former New Brunswick Electric Power Commission Building include:
- symmetrical four-storey brick and stone construction;
- concrete foundation;
- simple, balanced front façade;
- projecting frontispiece of front façade;
- large, rectangular window openings;
- central windows separated by fluted pilasters;
- simple cornice over the first storey;
- curved walls of the elevated entrance;
- “NEW BRUNSWICK ELECTRIC POWER COMMISSION” etched under the simple moulded roof-line cornice.