Description of Historic Place

McColl Frontenac Service Station is a one-storey brick Art Deco building crowned by a parapet. It is located on Princess Street within the Trinity Royal Preservation Area of the City of Saint John.

Heritage Value

McColl Frontenac Service Station is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture. It is also an expression of the economic growth and development of the City of Saint John in the first half of the twentieth century.

Built in 1936, several years after the construction of many commercial and residential buildings of Princess Street, McColl Frontenac Service Station remains significant as it reflects the changing face of the City in the earlier twentieth century. This is particularly reflected in the architecture. One of the few Art Deco buildings in Saint John, it reveals a subtle deviation from older types of architectural styles, such as Second Empire or Italianate that predominated the business districts of the City following the Great Fire of 1877.

McColl Frontenac Service Station is also recognized for its association with McColl Frontenac Oil Limited. This company was founded in Ontario in 1873 under the initial name of McColl and Anderson, and remained a Canadian based industry for over sixty years, providing oils, greases, paints and varnishes to the quickly growing railways across the country. The business continued to expand across the country until it stretched all the way from Vancouver to Halifax. The purchase of the land on Princess Street in 1930 signified this increasing expansion into the eastern parts of Canada. The station was finally completed in 1936 and began operating in 1937. The company was bought out by the U.S. based Texas Corporation in 1938. Although McColl Frontenac Limited was no longer Canadian owned, the company name continued to operate in Canada. McColl Fronenac Service Station thus serves as a compelling symbol of the Canadian Oil Industry in this period and the changing face of business within the City of Saint John. This building's history as a service station continued until 1990, when it was renovated into offices.

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

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe McColl Frontenac Service Station include:
- single-storey rectangular massing;
- window placement and proportions;
- broad brick pilasters with tall capitals forming a part of the parapet above;
- stone cornice;
- wood and stone parapet.