The Saint John Customs House

I moved to Saint John just over a year and a half ago to join my grandfather in his real estate business. An opportunity for which I’ll forever be grateful. Just like him, I’ve always been fascinated with architecture, primarily historic architecture. The level of detail, craftsmanship, and pride that went into the construction of these buildings is seldom seen in today’s developments and will forever be a fascination of mine. In my eyes, these places warrant a level of respect and garner a sense of responsibility.

Living in Halifax, Nova Scotia for most of my life I have seen my fair share of unwarranted demolition. Halifax is an old city with no shortage of history. Architectural gems are scattered throughout, but these are becoming less and less by the day. I’m not opposed to progress and development, but I truly believe there are ways in which architecture can be preserved while still giving new life to these sites. Architecture has a way of creating a persona for a city and destroying these buildings slowing dissolves that. Unlike Saint John there has not been a long-standing heritage conservation zone to protect architecturally significant areas. This has resulted in the demolition of far too many buildings and has always been a frustration of mine.

Coming to Saint John was a refreshing site. To be able to walk down streets that have largely been the same since shortly after the great fire is reminiscent of walking through parts of Europe, an experience not common in North America. I believe this is indicative of the amount of respect and appreciation Saint Johners have for their historic city.

Although Saint John has done an outstanding job in preserving many of the historic buildings, there have been some losses. I wanted to start this blog to shed light on the ones that were lost, not as a way to point fingers, but rather as a way to immortalize and ensure this part our architectural history is not forgotten. With all that said let’s jump into it. The first site I will be covering is the old Customs house.

The Customs House

Built just after the great fire between 1878 and 1881 the Customs House was the grandest building in the city. It was designed and built by architects McKean and Fairweather in the Second Empire style with an ode to French colonial in the form of a central dome. The cost of construction was $160,000, roughly $4.5 Million in today’s dollars which given the level of craftsmanship and materials used is a steal compared to the cost to emulate such detail today. It was constructed to replace the old customs house, which was lost in the fire of 1877, a fate that many buildings Uptown Saint John met. The sandstone exterior was decorated with elaborate carvings, and featured pilaster carved capitols that adorned the second and third floor as well as the first story of the central pavilion. Perched on the central pavilion pillars were carved heads that represented Europe, Africa, Asia, and America. A way to pay tribute to the nations involved in international trade. The grand front doors were carved of Indian teak and made for a beautiful contrast to its dominant sandstone façade, a façade that initially would have been 3/4 brick. Thanks to intervention from the architects, the initial plan to construct the sides, and Water street side of brick were scrapped, and it was decided that the entire building would be covered in the elaborate sandstone that is visible in photos.

The beginning of its end was in 1893 when a fire broke out causing significant damage to the interior and roof of the building. The damage was repaired, and it was fully operational not long after the incident. Although this was the case, the extreme heat from the fire resulted in the sandstone becoming porous and prone to crumbling. When the 1960’s rolled around, and urban renewal was taking hold of the city, the emphasis began shifting towards the construction of new modern buildings, and further away from the restoration and maintenance of historic properties. The department of public works was responsible for the Customs House, and had just completed construction of an adjacent modern building. They concluded that the cost to restore and maintain the Customs House was too great. Because of this they ordered the demolition of the building which commenced in 1961.

The site is now occupied by a parking lot, a significant disappointment for people who appreciate the elegance that once occupied the site. A section of the original foundation is still visible and acts as a reminder to what a lack of regard for our historic buildings can lead to. Portions of the sandstone façade were saved and can been seen along side the Sheldon point trail. A walk that is worth taking.