Description of Historic Place

Palatine Building is a 3 ½- storey stone Second Empire commercial building with two elaborate entrances at each side of the main façade and three roman arch windows in the central bay. Built in 1878, it is situated on Prince William Street in the Trinity Royal Preservation Area of the City of Saint John.

Heritage Value

Palatine Building is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture, its place within the streetscape and for its association with businesses that occupied the premises.

Palatine Building is one of a collection of commercial and residential, Italianate and Second Empire buildings that were built between 1877 and 1881 after two thirds of the City of Saint John was destroyed by the fire in 1877. This building is a good example of Second Empire commercial architecture from this period of rebuilding in Saint John. The traditional mansard roof, the elaborate window treatments and the overall symmetry of the front façade all reflect this style. The carved gargoyles were done by James McAvity. The architects of this grand building were Dumaresque and Dewar, of Halifax.

Palatine Building is also recognized as forming a part of the Prince William streetscape. This historic streetscape is distinguished by its rare concentration of homogeneous, primarily late 19th-century architecture. Traditionally referred to as the "Wall Street" of Saint John, the area contains major public buildings, banks, hotels, insurance, shipping and legal offices, and the Seamen's Institute and Mission. More than half of these structures were erected immediately after the Great Fire of 1877. The work of prominent architects of Scottish, American and Canadian origin, the buildings represent solid, dignified and sometimes flamboyant interpretations of contemporary styles and building technology.

The Bank of Nova Scotia and the Palatine Insurance Company are part of the heritage value of this building. In June 1874, an agency of the Bank of Nova Scotia was opened in Saint John in the Maritime Bank Building over the Bank of Montreal offices. The Cushing Building on Prince William Street was bought and occupied in 1876 and was burned in the 1877 fire. Two months later, in August 1877, the board had accepted plans and specifications for this present building, which stands on the same site. The Palatine Insurance Company was a fire and automobile insurance company that remained in this building for many years.

Source: Planning and Development Department - City of Saint John, Historic Places File, "Palatine Building"

Character-Defining Elements

The character defining elements that describe the context and location of Palatine Building include:
- forming part of the impressive commercial streetscape of Prince William Street;
- same set-back on the lot as the neighbouring buildings;
- filling the width of the lot.

The character defining elements that describe the Second Empire architecture of the Palatine Building include:
- rectangular 3 1/2-storey massing;
- symmetrical window and entrance placement;
- mansard roof with three gable dormer windows;
- ground floor windows with three high Roman arch windows separated by polished red granite columns with decorative Corinthian capitals;
- Roman arch windows with ornate keystones depicting human and animal faces;
- entrances with high transom windows;
- second and third storey segmented arch windows with ornate keystones and floral motifs;
- two elaborate entrances with large entablatures resembling balconies for the second floor windows;
- each entrance entablature supported by four polished red granite columns with Corinthian capitals;
- capitals with many unique gargoyles and other carvings including a gargoyle spitting out coins being associated with the buildings original function as a bank;
- brackets below the roof-line cornice;
- four projecting pilasters through second and third floor.