Description of Historic Place

The McAllister Building is a two-story wooden commercial building of vernacular Classic Revival architecture. It is located on Milltown Boulevard in St. Stephen.

Heritage Value

The McAllister Building is designated as a Local Historic Place for its architecture and for its association with the McAllister family.

The McAllister Building is recognized for its architecture. It is a good example of a vernacular interpretation of Classic Revival commercial architecture from the early 20th century. Besides its rectangular proportions, the building exhibits such Classic Revival elements as a balanced street-level storefront with a large cornice, a gable roof with wide moulded returned eaves and corner boards with capitals.

The McAllister Building is also recognized for its association with the McAllister family. The building was built in 1900 by John and Harrison McAllister, sons of Captain Abner McAllister, to house a store related to their gristmill enterprise. John McAllister Sr. opened a gristmill in Milltown, New Brunswick on the banks of the St. Croix River in 1803. The McAllisters exchanged hides and skins for corn, gluten, cottonseed and various seed grains. John McAllister Jr. was in charge of the feed store and Harrison the gristmill. For a number of years they produced their own breakfast cereal for sale at the store. The business was incorporated in 1939 as McAllister Bros. Ltd. Sons of John Jr., Abner “Cappy” and Fred McAllister operated the store while two other brothers Lewis and James ran the gristmill. “Cappy” McAllister and his family occupied the second floor of the McAllister Building. The business closed in 1975.

Source: St. Stephen Town Hall - Historic Places File “McAllister Building”

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe the vernacular Classic Revival commercial architecture of the McAllister Building include:
- rectangular two-storey massing;
- clapboard siding;
- regular fenestration of rectangular double sash windows;
- medium-pitched gable roof with moulded returned eaves;
- corner boards with capitals;
- balance street-level storefront with large moulded cornice;
- wide display windows.