Description of Historic Place

The Legislative Assembly Complex consists of a complete city block in downtown Fredericton that includes the grounds and three provincial buildings: Legislative Assembly Building of 1882; Departmental Building (West Block) of 1888; and the Old Education Building (East Block) of 1816 and 1869.

Heritage Value

The Legislative Assembly Complex forms the historic seat of the Government of New Brunswick.

The Legislative Assembly Building is an elegant example of the Second Empire Style. It was designed by architect J.C. Dumaresq and completed in 1882. The Departmental Building was designed by architect R.C. Dunn and built in 1888 in the Romanesque Revival Style. Constructed in 1816, the first storey of the Old Education Building is of the Neoclassical Style. The upper floors were added in 1869 and are of the Second Empire Style. The Old Education Building is the oldest surviving public building in Fredericton.

The Legislative Assembly Building is a major landmark in New Brunswick's capital city of Fredericton and a symbol of government in the Province of New Brunswick.

Source: New Brunswick Culture and Sport Secretariat, Heritage Branch, Site File.

Character-Defining Elements

Site layout including:

- Unobstructed view, excepting formal layout of tree planting, from Queen Street of the Legislative Assembly Building;
- Formal layout of front and rear grounds with level grassed and hard surface areas running to buildings without foundation planting, with formal walkways and a semi-circular driveway connecting the front entrance of the Legislative Assembly Building to the north & east corners of the city block at Queen St;
- Massing of buildings including the Legislative Assembly Building prominent in the centre and the east block, Old Education Building, both facing Queen Street, flanked by the west block, Departmental Building, facing St. John Street;
- Distinctive architectural and spatial effect of the three buildings constructed of stone all with mansard roofs, but of different time periods, architectural styles, and building size;

Legislative Building:

- High quality materials and fine workmanship entrance portico with fluted sandstone Corinthian columns, stone sculptures, prominent exterior dome, semi-circular window openings, and sandstone finishes;
- Principal interior spaces and layout such as the Assembly Chamber, Legislative Library, rotunda and circular staircase;
- Interior furnishing and fixtures such as New Brunswick art and books, Assembly Chamber desks, chairs and other chamber furniture, as well as original light fixtures, chandeliers, and heating radiators, etc.

Educational Building:

- neoclassical wood front door, surround of fluted tapered pilasters, frieze and dentils;
- Early nineteenth century first floor details including door and window trim, chair rails and ceiling cornices, six-panel wood doors, iron vault doors and interior iron shutters, as well as later period metal ceilings and cast iron radiators;
- Interior layout of the second floor, as well as late nineteenth door and window finishes, four-panel doors and door hardware.

Departmental Building:

- Building facades including the principal façade fronting on St. John Street defining the west corner of the block;
- Entrance of red granite columns and semi-circular sandstone arch;
- first and second floor interior layout and finishes including tongue and groove board ceilings and wainscot, metal ceilings and plaster ceiling cornices, four-panel doors with transom lights, door, window and baseboard trim, central staircase, marbleised slate fireplace surrounds and cast iron radiators.