Description of Historic Place

The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) station in Edmundston is located in a small hollow southeast of the downtown area, near the junction of the Madawaska and Saint John Rivers. It is a single storey red brick building with picturesque features and a high hipped roof that today serves as a community centre.

Heritage Value

The Edmundston CPR station has been designated a heritage railway station for its historic significance, its architectural qualities and its environmental value.

Built in 1929-30 to plans produced by the office of the CPR’s Chief Engineer in Montreal, this station was built as part of an ambitious project to link the St. Lawrence Valley to the Port of Saint John by crossing northwestern New Brunswick. Its custom design and high quality red brick materials are evidence that Edmunston was intended to be a focal point of this redefined rail network.

The station’s heritage value resides in its balanced composition and use of high quality materials as well as its innovative interior layout and relationship to its surroundings.

Source:
· Heritage Character Statement, Canadian Pacific Railway Station, Edmunston N.B., December 1992. Heritage Assessment Report RSR-108, 1991.

Character-Defining Elements

Character-defining elements of the Edmunston CPR Station include:

- its irregular rectangular footprint and single storey massing under a high hipped roof,
- its substantial presence and symmetrical proportions,
- its elegant simplicity,
- the balance inherent in its vertical definition,
- the prominence of its roof definition from all four perspectives,
- the smooth aesthetic integration of special railway features such as a projecting telegrapher’s bay and broad eaves to provide passenger shelter,
- the modern interpretation of its picturesque-inspired details: straight wide eaves, elegant wooden brackets paired at the corners and supported by substantial stone corbels that influence the balance of the structure, voussoirs and flattened aperture arches,
- the textures of its original materials: cement foundation, red brick walls, stone corbels, wood brackets, wooden doors and trim,
- the craftsmanship evident in such details as carved rafter ends and decorative brackets,
- all original fabric and finishes inside the station, including burlap wainscot and plaster walls in the public areas, and tongue and groove facings on the utilitarian spaces,
- continued legibility of the station’s original functional layout, particularly the two waiting rooms, the stationmaster’s office, and washroom spaces,
- any remnants of its original open interior spatial volume with its high ceilings and tall interior partitions,
- longstanding patterns of access and circulation,
- the overall integrity of the building’s form, plan, material, and detail.