Description of Historic Place

The Brodie Building is a 3-storey Italianate-Style brick commercial building on Princess Street, in the Trinity Royal area of Saint John.

Heritage Value

The Brodie Building was designated a Local Historic Place because it is an expression of the importance of the rebuilding of the Saint John business district after the Great Saint John Fire of 1877. The building is located in the Trinity Royal area and was recognized in the City of Saint John Preservation Areas Bylaw in 1982.

This building is one of a collection of well maintained buildings that were built between 1877 and 1881 after 2/3rds of the City of Saint John was destroyed by fire in 1877. This building serves as a reminder of that catastrophic fire and the strong will of the Saint John merchants to rebuild the city. The brick architecture sends a message that the city would be more fire resistant in the future. The elements in this building, its design, 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.

Originally known as the Barnhill's Building, the building’s name was changed in 1925 to the Brodie Building. The building originally housed eight law firms. The most noteworthy firm that occupied this building, at the time of construction, was the firm of A. C. Fairweather (later A. C. Fairweather and Sons). Organized in 1870 and still in operation in 2004, the company of A. C. Fairweather used the building for approximately 80 years. Their last year of operation out of the building was 1960 by which time the company had left the law profession and was strictly an insurance company.

Through the years insurance brokers, architects, lawyers, engineers and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had offices in this building. Until recently the building had been utilized solely as an office building.

Source: Planning Department, City of Saint John

Character-Defining Elements

Character-defining elements associated of the Brodie Building designated because it is an expression of the importance of the rebuilding phase of the Saint John business district relating to its context and location include:
- Its location in the Trintiy Royal area;
- it is a three storey building;
- it is one of a collection of well maintained buildings.

Character-defining elements relating to its exterior include:
- metal cornice;
- dentils;
- eight columns run from the sandstone foundation to the 3/4 panel of the first floor windows;
- central entranceway;
- 2/2 sash windows;
- window arches on all three levels vary in style;
- lower windows and entrance with projected brick segmented arches that drape over the top of the window slightly;
- second floor windows are the most prominent, the arch is nearly rounded and drapes down and returns to make a ledge that spans the entire width of the building;
- top floor window arches are modest and flush with the façade with a thin projected course of bricks in a segmented arch above the arch of the window.

Character-defining elements relating to its interior features include:
- tin ceilings;
- hardwood floors, and stairway.