Constructed in 1922, this may well be among the "youngest" of registered heritage buildings in St John's. It was constructed for Peter O'Mara, a local pharmacist who operated a pharmacy from nearby 486 Water St between 1899 and 1922. The store operated under the name "Peter O'Mara Drug Store" until it closed in 1986. At that time it was purchased by the Newfoundland Pharmaceutical Association. The Association uses the second floor for administrative office space, and 1988 they opened a Heritage Drug Store on the first floor (the Newfoundland & Labrador
Pharmacy Museum). The building was re-branded as "Apothecary Hall", with the interior being restored to resemble the drug stores which were built in St. John's after the Great Fire of 1892.
Apothecary Hall was designated as a provincial Registered Heritage Structure on 6 June 1988. The following description of the building and its significance is taken from the Heritage Foundation of
Newfoundland & Labrador website:
Heritage Value
Apothecary Hall was designated a Registered Heritage Structure by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1988 due to its aesthetic and historic value.
Apothecary Hall has aesthetic value as it is a good example of an early 20th century commercial building in downtown St. John’s. Purpose built for use as a drugstore, the building is an amalgam of the Art Nouveau style and the Art Deco style employing some of the key style elements of each – including the rectangular design of the Art Nouveau style and the straight lines and vivid colours of the Art Deco style.
Apothecary Hall also has aesthetic value for its association with well-known local architect John E. Hoskins. Hoskins was born in St. John’s and during his career he was involved in the design and construction of many of the larger buildings in St. John’s, including additions to the General Hospital and renovations to the Basilica of St. John the Baptist.
Apothecary Hall has historic value as an intact example of an early 20th century drugstore. The interior of the building has been relatively unaltered and retains its original style as an early 20th century drugstore. This building is also historically valuable for its association with the O’Mara family. The O’Mara family is well known in St. John’s as a family of pharmacists. Peter O’Mara was particularly influential as a founding member of the Newfoundland Pharmaceutical Society. Peter O’Mara opened a drugstore at 486 Water Street in 1890 but by 1922 he felt he needed a new building for his operation and Apothecary Hall was built at 488 Water Street for this purpose. The building was owned and operated by the O’Mara family under the name “Peter O’Mara’s Drugstore” from 1922 until it closed in 1986.
Source: Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador property file “St. John’s – Apothecary Hall – FPT 1622?
Character Defining Elements
All those elements that are representative of the Art Deco and Art Nouveau designs including:
-number of storeys;
-chimney number, style and placement;
-concrete construction;
-rectangular design;
-size, style, trim and placement of wooden windows;
-size, style, trim and placement of exterior wooden doors;
-vivid exterior paint colours, and;
-dimension, location and orientation of building.
All those elements that reflect the commercial use of the building, including:
-transom windows;
-large shop windows;
-recessed doorway;
-mortar and pestle decoration on front façade, and;
-interior shelving, hardware, tin ceilings and counters.
Source: heritagefoundation.ca/heritage-property/apothecary-hall-registered-heritage-structure/, accessed March 2019