Description of Historic Place

Vanwart Brothers Building is a two-storey brick Italianate building with a street-level storefront and corner entry. It is located on Charlotte Street, within the Trinity Royal Preservation Area of the City of Saint John.

Heritage Value

Vanwart Brothers Building is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture, for its location on Charlotte Street and for its association with the Vanwart brothers.

Vanwart Brothers Building is one of a collection of commercial Italianate buildings that were built after two thirds of the City of Saint John was destroyed by fire in 1877. Built in 1887, Vanwart Brothers Building is a good example of commercial Italianate architecture from the rebuilding period in Saint John. This style is evident in the decorative cornice, the segmented arch windows and the design of the street-level storefront. The elements and design in this building 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.

Vanwart Brothers Building is also recognized for its role as part of Charlotte Street and for its association with Daniel N. and John W. Vanwart. Charlotte Street was primarily the social and leisure centre of Saint John near the turn of the 20th century. This store contributed to the atmosphere of the district as a place to buy various groceries, meats and confectionary. Daniel Vanwart founded a grocery business in the mid-1870’s. By 1883, his brother John W. Vanwart joined him, after which the business moved to this Charlotte Street corner. They occupied a wooden structure until 1887, when this brick structure was constructed in its place. The business experienced great success, leading the Vanwart Brothers to expand until their business occupied three of the four corners at Charlotte and Duke Street. When Daniel died in 1904, John became the sole proprietor. John would also become a prominent, if controversial, municipal politician. The grocery business of the Vanwart Brothers continued to operate out of this location until 1910.

Source: Planning and Development Department - City of Saint John

Character-Defining Elements

The character defining elements that describe the Italianate architecture of Vanwart Brothers Building include:
- rectangular two-storey massing;
- brick exterior walls;
- cornice ornamented by brick corbel bands;
- second storey segmented arched openings with rectangular, vertical sliding wood windows;
- sandstone sills;
- band of decorative brick linking the brick hood moulds above the second storey windows;
- street-level storefront, consisting of a corner entrance with transom window, wooden cornice and fascia, storefront windows, pilasters and wooden bulkheads;
- interior chimney with paired chimney pots.