Description of Historic Place

The David Bartlett Block is a brick two-storey Italianate commercial building with a ground-level storefront from the late 19th century. It is located on King Street in St. Stephen.

Heritage Value

The David Bartlett Block is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture and for its association with its former occupants. It is an example of commercial Italianate architecture. This two-storey brick building exhibits such Italianate details as the segmented arch window headers, the elaborate roofline cornice and the storefront with a bracketed cornice. The building was built in 1892 by David Bartlett of Bartlett's Mills, New Brunswick.

The David Bartlett Block is also recognized for its association with its former occupants. The lower floor was rented to business firms, namely DeWolfe’s Hardware and Wilson’s Tin Shop. In 1900, Valentine (Tine) Vanstone established the International Drug Co. in the area occupied by DeWolfe’s and Wilson’s. The first product manufactured by this firm was “Ginger Beer”. Later, other soft drinks were added to the inventory and the beverages carried the name “Old Homestead”. The “Old Homestead” cigar was produced in 1910. The company became known for their Valentine Extracts of Vanilla and Lemon as well as for being a wholesale business featuring candies, gum, paper products, etc. The business closed in 1973 after serving the public for more than 70 years.

Source: St. Stephen Town Hall - Historic Places file “David Barlett Block”.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe the David Bartlett Block include:
- rectangular two-storey massing;
- symmetrical front façade;
- brick exterior walls;
- rectangular 2/2 windows with segmented arch blind transoms and grey granite sills;
- brick roofline cornice with brick corbel brackets and dentils;
- storefront with cornice, engaged pillars and brackets.