Former Brunswick Downs Site

The Former Brunswick Downs Site consists of the steel framework of former racetrack stands used as a framework for a modern building located on Gauvin Road in Dieppe. The designation also includes the minimal vestiges of the former airstrip and racetrack, as well as a monument to firefighters.

The Former Brunswick Downs Site is designated a Local Historic Place for its association with the history of aviation in Dieppe, for its association with a former racetrack and for the preservation of an original steel structure, which has been transformed into a fire station. The site also features a monument dedicated to firefighters.

The Former Brunswick Downs Site is recognized for its association with the history of aviation in Dieppe. Between 1929 and 1941, a small airstrip was located at this location on Gauvin Road in Léger's Corner, now a part of the City of Dieppe. The east-west runway was 457 metres and the north-south runway was 274 metres long. The airstrip was used for mail delivery, first to the Magdalen Islands, then to the main towns in New Brunswick. A flying school, the RCMP, and passenger services were located there as well. When the Department of National Defence opened the Lakeburn airport in 1941, during the Second World War, the airstrip in Léger's Corner was abandoned.

The Former Brunswick Downs Site is also recognized for its former use as a racetrack. The building and the site were associated with harness racing, which started on the site shortly after the Second World War. The racetrack, which bore the names Moncton Speedway, Moncton Raceway, Brunswick Downs, Champlain Raceway, and New Brunswick Downs (Hippodrome du Nouveau-Brunswick), was in operation until 1991. More than 10,000 spectators and gamblers watched some races, which drew the best horses in the Maritimes and offered large purses.

The Former Brunswick Downs Sites is further recognized for being a remarkable example of the reutilization of an old steel structure. The racetrack’s old stands served as a framework for the current fire station. Visitors to the site can see the stands’ structure and the catwalk. The fire station opened in 2004.

The heritage value of this site derives as well from a monument paying tribute to Dieppe’s firefighters. Erected in 1991 to highlight the 40 years of service of Chief George Bastarache, the monument honours Dieppe’s full-time and volunteer firefighters.

Source: City of Dieppe, Historic Places File D3

The character-defining elements that describe the Former Brunswick Downs Site include:

- former location of the airstrip and the racetrack;

- vestiges relating to the airstrip and the racetrack;

- steel structure of the Brunswick Downs stands;

- fire station resulting from reused steel framework;

- firefighters’ monument.