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 CNHS - Fredericton City Hall - Fredericton, NB Posted by:  T0SHEA
N 45° 57.790 W 066° 38.593
19T E 682610 N 5092655
Standing behind Phoenix Square, City Hall is an imposing three storey brick and stone building which has served continuously as Fredericton's city hall for 140 years as of 2016.
Waymark Code: WMQDEK
Location: New Brunswick, Canada
Date Posted: 02/09/2016
Views: 8
The oldest city hall in Atlantic Canada still in use as such, the building was designed by architects McKean and Fairweather, a very prolific design firm of St. John, NB, the principals of which were John Thomas Charles McKean (1840-1911) and G. Ernest Fairweather (1850-1920).
Fredericton has had rather bad luck with its city halls, as three previous ones, all built on this site, had, each in its turn, succumbed to fire. Built in the Second Empire style, the building was given a tall (115 foot) square centre clock tower and metal roofed steeple, ending in a flat top with decorative iron work and ornate finials on each corner. Standing on a tall stone block foundation, the building was given generous amounts of stone trim, including multiple beltlines, stone dentils at the cornice and multiple keystones over the arched third story windows.
Oddly, for a building of the latter part of the nineteenth century, this city hall had a market in its basement until 1951. Also, the second floor was occupied by a large auditorium, known as the " Opera House", until 1940, when council chambers were moved upstairs, occupying the Opera House.
Built in 1875-1876 to the design of architects McKean and Fairweather, this is the oldest municipal hall in Atlantic Canada still used for civic administration. Its imposing exterior and the many functions it has performed illustrate the building's importance to community life. Originally the municipal offices and council chambers occupied the first storey, and a public hall, known as the Opera House, dominated the upper floor. The building is distinguished by the use of its basement as a market prior to 1951, a function rarely combined with municipal halls by the late 19th century.
From the CNHS Plaque
Fredericton City Hall
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
Fredericton City Hall, located on Queen Street in Fredericton’s historic downtown commercial district, is situated in the area known as Phoenix Square. In 1876, Saint John contractors Crosby and Campbell completed this three-and-a-half story brick-faced structure designed in the Second Empire Style by architects McKean and Fairweather of Saint John.
HERITAGE VALUE
The heritage value of Fredericton City Hall as a Local Historic Place resides in the Second Empire architectural style of this structure, in its location, and in the significant role this building has played in the political, social, and commercial history of Fredericton.
McKean and Fairweather, architects from Saint John, New Brunswick, designed this building to replace the City Hall built in 1867. That building, which combined City Hall and Market, was destroyed by fire in January 1875. Saint John builders H.B. Crosby and O.M. Campbell constructed the new City Hall, accommodating a Market House, on the same site as that of its predecessor using salvaged sections of the foundation and other materials from the previous structure. That all three previous buildings constructed on this site had succumbed to fire might explain why this area is known as Phoenix Square.
Heritage value also resides in the architectural design of Fredericton City Hall and its impact on future building in the area. This structure is significant not only as an example of the Second Empire style but because it became a style to emulate. The design of City Hall proved an inspiration for other structures. The Provincial Normal School, which was under construction in 1876 and burned in 1929, underwent a change in the design of the foundation as it was being built so that it would resemble that of City Hall. The Randolph Building, located next to City Hall and constructed in 1878, was deliberately designed to be in harmony with buildings such as City Hall and the Provincial Normal School. The 115-foot projecting tower, a significant element of the building’s design, featured not only a clock but had also originally contained the apparatus for a fire alarm. The fountain has been a prominent feature since its construction in 1885.
Fredericton City Hall has local significance because historically it represents a true community centre. City Hall was the seat of civic politics with the main floor having been assigned to that purpose. This building served as a polling station for elections, housed City Council meetings, and provided a host of other civic services including the police station and a jail. In its capacity as a city market, which was located in the basement, this building was the site of commercial activity and served as a gathering place for residents. With the second floor devoted to an 810-seat opera house with horseshoe balcony, Fredericton City Hall also encompassed an entertainment and cultural centre for over half a century.
The exterior of Fredericton City Hall has remained largely unchanged since it was built with the exception of an addition in 1975.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
- its situation upon a large open lot in the downtown plat;
- its location in Phoenix Square;
- three-and-a-half storey rectangular-shaped main structure;
- freestone foundation;
- red brick-faced exterior relieved by bands of freestone;
- mansard roof with iron cresting;
- projecting tower with clock face, mansard roof and iron cresting;
- regularly-spaced, Roman arch windows;
- arched front entry porch with red granite columns;
- porch with stone coping;
- fountain surrounded by stone walk.
From Historic Places Canada
Classification: National Historic Site
Province or Territory: New Brunswick
Location - City name/Town name: Fredericton
Link to Parks Canada entry (must be on www.pc.gc.ca): [Web Link]
Link to HistoricPlaces.ca: [Web Link]
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