City of St. John's Heritage Building, Structure, Land or Area
Cornerstone Theatre
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

View of the main facade of the Cornerstone Theatre, 016 Queen Street, St. John's, NL.
Photo: HFNL 2005
- Built
- 1860–1861
- Recognized
- 1989
- By
- City of St. John's
The register’s text, word for word
Description
016 Queen Street, the Cornerstone Theatre, is a two storey stone building located at the corners of Queen, George and Water Streets, St. John's, NL. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.
Heritage value
016 Queen Street, the Cornerstone Theatre, has been designated a Municipal Heritage Structure for its historical and aesthetic values.
016 Queen Street has historic value because it was built by the Fishermen's Society as a hall and exhibition centre for fisheries and agriculture produce, but it became a important venue for theatre, special performances and bazaars. It is the oldest surviving theatre in the city and the foundation meeting of the Star of the Sea Society was held in this building. In 1872, ownership of the hall was transfered to the Roman Catholic Diosese of St. John's and the building was decated as St. Peter's Church. The upper floor was used as a church for Catholics awaiting the completion of St. Patrick's Church and the ground floor held a school operated by the Sisters of Mercy. From 1903 - 1967 it was office and warehouse space for the firm Frank McNamara Limited.
016 Queen Street has aesthetic value because it is one of the few stone structures found in the downtown landscape, and reflects the religious venacular style in its steep gabled roof, elongated arched windows, and heavy morticed square cut stone.
SourceCity of St. John's Archives, unnumbered property file, St. John's - Cornerstone Theatre
Character‑defining elements
All elements that define the building's religious vernacular design, including:
-size, shape and placement of the local square cut stone;
-size, shape and placement of the red brick trim;
-size, shape, and placement of the windows;
-steep gabled pitch of the roof;
-location of the main entrance with its wooden double doors and fan window; and,
-size and dimensions of building.
End of the register’s text
Location
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1C, Canada
47.56036° N, 52.71199° W
Get directions (opens in a new tab)Being on the register doesn’t make a place open to visitors. Many are private homes or businesses; please view them from the street.
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Similar places
Places whose register descriptions are closest to this one.
Corner Brook Public BuildingCorner Brook, Newfoundland And Labrador
St. John's CourthouseSt. John's, Newfoundland And Labrador
32 Queen's Road Municipal Heritage BuildingSt. John's, Newfoundland And Labrador
Star of the Sea Hall Municipal Heritage BuildingSt. John's, Newfoundland And Labrador
St. John's Court House National Historic Site of CanadaSt. John's, Newfoundland And Labrador
The Stone HouseSt. John's, Newfoundland And Labrador
From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.