1916 City Hall Façade

1916 City Hall Façade is designated a Local Historic Place for being a good and rare example of large-scale neoclassical design in Moncton.

When architect Albert Sincennes and contractor Tilman D. Leblanc erected the City Hall and Market building in 1915-1916 to replace the one destroyed by fire on February 25, 1914, the result was one of the most architecturally striking buildings in Moncton’s history. The large neoclassical Doric pillars and pediment served as a narrowly protruding portico for the immense building which measured 49 meters long by 18.5 meters wide and included an opera house and city market. The sandstone from Smith Quarries in Amherst, Nova Scotia was evaluated at the time as the best in the country. The façade was often adorned for special occasions, such as coronations, royal visits and sports and military parades. The large rectangular facility in pink sandstone stood on the south side of Main Street until it was deemed to small for Moncton’s growing needs in 1969. When dismantled, the façade was kept for innovative local architect Jacques Roy with the intent of using it for the façade of the proposed Moncton Museum. The museum, including the historic façade reassembly, was completed in 1973.