Saint John in Saint John County, New Brunswick — The Atlantic Provinces (North America)
Clearing Customs in Style
Franchir les douanes avec grâce
— Harbour Passage Trail —
From 1881 to 1960, a massive building with a central dome and two elaborate towers dominated the Saint John waterfront.
The Custom House was three storeys high on Prince William Street and five storeys on Water Street, and occupied most of a city block. An ornate Second Empire-style building, it had designs engraved in the sandstone, including a carving of Britannia above the entrance. The building took almost four years to build and cost $300,000 — a small fortune at the time.
This was the second Customs building on the site. The less ornate 1841 building burnt down in the Great Fire of June 20, 1877. With this in mind, the 1881 Custom House was made of sandstone, granite, flint and slate, with interior brick walls, fireproof iron doors, and iron beams for floor joists. Nevertheless, an interior fire gutted the building in 1892, and all but the walls and towers were rebuilt over the following two years.
On top of the north tower, was a gigantic iron ball suspended from a metal frame. Before the days of radio, this ball was dropped every day at precisely 12 noon, so that the vessels in the harbour could accurately set the time of their shipboard chronometers. The building also housed the federal departments of Marine and Fisheries, Inland Revenue and Board of Works, as well as an observatory for taking astronomical measurements. Locally built vessels were registered here and bonded goods for import or export stored in the building, literally a stone's throw from the harbour.
De 1881 à 1960, le front de mer de Saint John était dominé par un bâtiment imposant doté d'un dôme central et de deux tours remarquables.
Le Bureau de douane avait trois étages du côté de la rue Prince William et cinq, rue Water; il occupait la majeure partie d'un pâté de maisons.
Cet édifice de style Second Empire était orné de reliefs gravés dans le grès, dont un du Britannia au-dessus de l'entrée. Sa construction, au coût de 300 000 $ — une petite fortune à l'époque — a nécessité presque quatre ans.
Il s'agissait du deuxième immeuble de la douane à cet emplacement. Celui de 1841, moins orné, avait été détruit par le Grand Incendie du 20 juin 1877. C'est pourquoi le Bureau de douane de 1881 a été construit en grès, en granite, en silex et en ardoise. Il comprenait des murs intérieurs en brique, des portes de fer à l'épreuve du feu et des solives de plancher faites de poutres d'acier. Néanmoins, en 1892, le feu a ravagé l'intérieur du bâtiment qu'on a reconstruit pendant les deux années suivantes, à l'exception des murs et des tours.
La tour nord était couronnée d'un gigantesque ballon de fer suspendu à un cadre de métal. Avant l'avènement de la radio, on laissait tomber ce ballon tous les jours à midi pile afin que les bateaux dans le port puissent régler avec précision l'heure indiquée sur les chronomètres à bord. L'édifice abritait également le ministère fédéral de la Marine et des Pêcheries, celui du Revenu intérieur et la Commission des travaux publics, ainsi qu'un observatoire où l'on prenait des mesures astronomiques. Les navires construits dans la région y étaient enregistrés. Situé à deux pas du port, il convenait parfaitement à l'entreposage des biens d'importation ou d'exportation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Disasters • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1881.
Location. 45° 16.176′ N, 66° 3.727′ W. Marker is in Saint John, New Brunswick, in Saint John County. Marker is at the intersection of Water Street and Duke Street, on the right when traveling south on Water Street. Marker is located beside the sidewalk at the southwest corner of the intersection. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Saint John NB E2L 2B9, Canada. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Troop Fleet in the Days of Sail (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); West meets East (about 120 meters away); Prince William Streetscape (about 180 meters away); Church of Saint Andrew and Saint David (about 210 meters away); First Marine Compound Engine (about 240 meters away); New Brunswick’s First School of Law (about 240 meters away); First Steam Fog Horn (about 240 meters away); The Marco Polo / Le Marco Polo (approx. 0.3 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Saint John.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 3, 2022. It was originally submitted on February 14, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 124 times since then and 7 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on February 18, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.