GENERAL
Alternate TitlesFredericton City Hall
Government Office
397 Queen Street, Fredericton, York County
The property comprises of a 3-storey, red brick, Second Empire structure with a 115-foot-tall central clock tower and a projecting portico entrance that leads out onto Phoenix Square. It was built shortly after its predecessor was destroyed in a fire in 1875 after only being in use for 8 years
Fredericton City Hall is the oldest municipal hall still in use for civic administration purposes. It has been used for many purposes over its lifetime, including not only housing municipal offices and council chambers, but also an Opera House and market simultaneously. Its function as a market space was relatively rare for municipal halls of the time. Its many functions over time represent how vital the building is and has been to the community.
ARCHITECTURE
Date of Construction1875-76
-115-foot-tall clock tower
- Portico entrance and significant stairwell
- Second Empire style details which include: central clock tower; high hipped roof; portico entrance; round-arch openings; dormers; corbel tables, polychrome masonry detailing (made by stone voussoirs over openings); and decorative iron cresting.
- Decorative frieze with medallions over the entrance
- Carved coat of arms
- String courses around the building, flush and protruding
- Original brass workings of the clock tower
- Surviving fountain outside on Phoenix Square
- Surviving horseshoe balcony inside
- Tall, thin, round-top openings that connect to paired lower windows
The only major alterations done to the building involve repurposing the spaces inside for different usage over time. Council chambers moved into the previous Opera House on the third floor in 1940 and in 1951 the market (which was housed in the basement) moved out of the building. A sun dial was previously included within the clock tower but was removed when Standard Time became law in 1902.
Crosby and Campbell
McKean and Fairweather
OWNERSHIP HISTORY
Current OwnerCity of Fredericton
SOURCES AND DOCUMENTS
Photos
Front view of the Fredericton City Hall, photographed by the Parks Canada Agency. Image taken from historicplaces.ca
Sources
Parks Canada: Fredericton City Hall National Historic Site of Canada
Historic Places: Fredericton City Hall
Erin Jefferies
