Description of Historic Place

The Engine House Buildings are located on Mitchell Street in the former Town of Newcastle, within the City of Miramichi. They consist of two single-storey sandstone buildings of utilitarian Romanesque Revival architecture.

Heritage Value

The Engine House Buildings are designated a Local Historic Place for their architecture and for their association with the former Town of Newcastle's electrical lights, water and sewage system.

Constructed in 1902 of native Miramichi sandstone, the Engine House Buildings are good examples of utilitarian Romanesque Revival architecture. The functional "L" form with gable roof and open interior of the buildings is hightened beyond its utilitarian design through Roman arch windows, oculus windows and stepped parapets on the front façades. Stone used to construct the Engine House Buildings was quarried from the nearby French Fort Cove. The contract for the two buildings was awarded to Maritime Mining & Contracting Co. They were built to house the dynamo room, pump room and coal room. The site became fully operational in 1903 and today is utilized within the City Works Department as a service facility.

Source: City of Miramichi Heritage Office - Beaverbrook House - Historic Places File #05-52

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that define the utilitarian architecture of the Engine House Buildings include:
- L-plan single-storey massing of each building;
- construction of uneven course Miramichi sandstone;
- gable roofs;
- interior spatial arrangement originally designed for housing large pieces of equipment.

The character-defining elements that define the Romanesque Revival details of the Engine House Buildings include:
- decorative Roman arch and oculus windows with keystones;
- stepped parapets.