Description of Historic Place

The Major Building is a four-storey brick Italianate office building and residence with a storefront. It is located on Prince William Street within the boundary of the Trinity Royal Preservation Area of the City of Saint John.

Heritage Value

The Major Building is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture and for its association with its former occupants.

The Major Building is recognized as one of a collection of commercial and residential, Italianate and Second Empire buildings that were built between 1877 and 1881 after two thirds of the City of Saint John were destroyed by fire in 1877. Built circa 1881, this building is a good example of commercial Italianate architecture from the rebuilding period in Saint John after the fire. The use of brick and the quality of the workmanship in this building represent the will for the city to rebuild, as well or better, after the fire.

The Major Building is also recognized for its long-time association with insurance agents T. B. and H. B. Robinson. Saint John had a great need for insurance agents as shippers wanted to insure their cargo and vessels. Several Saint John fires also acted as a constant reminder of the importance of fire insurance in the city. This building housed many insurance agents but none as long as the Robinson firm which operated here from 1881 until T. Barclay Robinson's death in 1914. This firm dealt primarily in marine and fire insurance. T. Barclay was a native of New Brunswick and was a loyalist descendant. He was Deputy Mayor of Saint John in 1897-1898.

The Major Building is also recognized through its 78 year association with the Major family. They purchased this building in 1881 and used the upper storeys as their residence. The family consisted of 70-year-old Susan, wife of William Major and her three daughters. Members of the Major family continued to live in this residence until 1959.

Source: Department of Planning and Development - City of Saint John

Character-Defining Elements

The character defining elements that describe the Major Building include:
- four-storey rectangular massing;
- brick exterior walls;
- window and entrance placement and proportions;
- cornice ornamented by brick corbel bands with a recessed brick cross design above each corbel;
- Roman arch 2/2 vertical sliding wood windows in upper storey;
- rectangular vertical sliding wood framed windows in third storey;
- spandrel panel between third and fourth floors has a series of sandstone panels with three recessed crosses in each panel;
- rectangular windows in the second storey;
- continuous label sandstone lintels along second and third storey windows;
- continuous sandstone sill;
- storefront comprised of a cornice ornamented with dentils, cast iron pilasters, two large plate glass windows, wood-paneled bulkheads, wooden doors with glass upper panels and segmented arch transoms in the triangular recessed entrance.