Description of Historic Place

Built about 1878, the J. & A. McMillan Building is a four-storey brick Italianate commercial building. It is located on Prince William Street within the boundaries of the Trinity Royal Heritage Conservation Area of the City of Saint John.

Heritage Value

The J. & A. McMillan building is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture and for its association with the McMillan family.

The J. & A. McMillan Building is recognized as an expression of the significance of a Saint John commercial district. It is one of a collection of government, commercial and residential buildings that were built between 1877 and 1881 after two-thirds of the City of Saint John were destroyed by the Great Saint John Fire of 1877. This building serves as a reminder of that fire and the strong will of the residents of Saint John to rebuild the city. The brick architecture sent a message that the city would be more fire resistant in the future and the elements and design in this building as well as the rest of the collection demonstrate that the city was going to be rebuilt as well or better than the city that was lost. The J. & A. McMillan Building is a good example of commercial Italianate architecture from Saint John’s rebuilding period. It is located within the Trinity Royal Heritage Conservation Area, officially recognized by the City of Saint John in 1982.

The J. & A. McMillan Building also recognized for its association with the McMillan family and McMillan Publishing. The building was built for McMillan Printing in circa 1878. In 2000, it was still housing a branch of this company. John McMillan, a book-seller from Belfast Ireland, immigrated to Saint John in 1822 and immediately established a book selling house. James and Alexander, sons of John, renamed the firm J & A McMillan in 1845. By the 1850's, J & A McMillan had become one of the most important publishers in the Maritimes. In 1877, the McMillan's premises burned in the Great Fire and it was re-built shortly thereafter. The McMillan family operated this firm for over 100 years. This building remained the business establishment for J. & A. McMillan for nearly 120 years. In 2000, the name of the firm in this building was Centennial McMillan, Lingley, Printers. The building now includes a hair salon, and luxury apartments.

Source: Planning and Development Department - City of Saint John

Character-Defining Elements

The character defining elements that describe the J. & A. McMillan Building include:
- rectangular four-storey massing;
- brick exterior walls;
- window placement and proportions;
- bracketed roof-line cornice with ornate ends;
- paneled fascia;
- decorative end pilasters;
- vertical sliding wood windows,
- fourth storey rectangular window openings;
- third storey segmented arch window openings;
- second storey Roman arch window openings;
- all windows have ornate entablatures;
- corbelled brackets under the window sills;
- keystones over second and third storey windows;
- central bay with paired windows
- end bays with single windows through the second, third and fourth storeys.

The character defining elements that describe the storefront include:
- deeply recessed entrance with iron columns;
- transom windows;
- large storefront windows;
- brick pilasters with Roman arch design;
- wood paneled bulkheads.