Description of Historic Place

McLaughlin Building is a three-storey brick Italianate building located on Germain Street within the Trinity Royal Preservation Area of the City of Saint John.

Heritage Value

McLaughlin Building is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture and for its association with several of its former occupants.

Built in 1878 by architect David E. Dunham, McLaughlin Building is one of a collection of Second Empire, Queen Anne and Italianate buildings that were built after two thirds of the City of Saint John were destroyed by fire in 1877. The brick Italianate architecture of this building represents the rebuilding phase of the city after the fire. The window shapes, storefront with cornice and overall symmetry of the façade all reflect this style.

McLaughlin Building was erected for Daniel J. McLaughlin and housed a wide variety of businesses and community organizations from the late nineteenth century until the present day. Some of the community organizations that once occupied this space included the Temperance Reform Club, the Good Templars Hall, the St. George Society, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Salvage Corps and Fire Police. Prominent and long lasting businesses also operated here, including R.H. Green and Sons Printers and Engravers, Samuel Tufts’ Grocery, Imperial Optical, and Byrne and McGouche Plumbing and Heating. J.F. Gerrity and Co. Portrait Artists, Miss N. Prior's singing school and the Saint John Camera Club operated from here throughout the 1880s and 1890s. Gilbert D. Davidson, a well-known banjoist and music teacher, conducted his business out of the McLaughlin building from 1904 to 1920. From 1920 until 1942, The Studio Dance Hall occupied this space as well, making the McLaughlin Building a center of culture and recreation. It is even now used as an art gallery and record shop.

Source: Planning and Development Department - City of Saint John

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe McLaughlin Building include:
- 3-storey rectangular massing;
- brick corbel bands and dentils along the cornice;
- sandstone date stone of “1878” marking the year of construction;
- segmented arched, vertical sliding, one over one windows;
- brick arches over third storey windows flanked by sandstone trimmings with pronounced sandstone keystones;
- brick arches over second storey windows flanked by sandstone trimmings;
- bands of sandstone forming the sills of the second and third floor windows;
- brick, segmented arches flanked by sandstone trimmings with sandstone keystones between the second and third storey;
- brick pilasters between the second and third storey windows;
- projected wood cornice and fascia above the first storey supported by brick pilasters with wood capitals on both corners of the front façade;
- central entrance with an elaborate entablature above a segmented arch transom window and paired wood doors with glass panels;
- ornamented pilasters on either side of central entry with inset cast iron columns;
- recessed storefront entrances on north and south sides of the front façade including two, paired wood doors with glass panels flanked by cast iron Corinthian columns and transom windows above;
- fluted Corinthian columns of cast iron on either side of the north and storefront entrances;
- slender, cast iron Corinthian columns ornamenting the frames of the storefront windows along the front façade;
- wood bulkheads.