Municipal Heritage Preservation Act
Leslie Building
Saint John, New Brunswick
Also known as Barnes-Hopkins, Hector's Restaurant, Restaurant Hector's
This photograph shows the full view of the facade, 2004
Photo: City of Saint John
- Recognized
- 1982
- By
- Local government
The register’s text, word for word
Description
Leslie Building is located on Prince William Street in the Trinity Royal area of the City of Saint John. It is a four storey brick Italianate-Style commercial building.
Heritage value
Leslie Building is designated as a Local Historic Place for its architecture and for its continued viability as a commercial venue in downtown Saint John.
Leslie Building is recognized for its architecture. It is one of a collection of commercial, Italianate and Second Empire buildings that were built between 1877 and 1881 after two thirds of the City of Saint John was destroyed by the fire in 1877. This four storey brick Italianate-Style commercial building exhibits traditional elements of this style of architecture, including Roman arch window openings, ground-level storefront and roof-line cornice.
Leslie Building is also recognized for its history as a viable commercial space in downtown Saint John. This building has housed several types of businesses since its construction, including William T. Bell, wholesalers, Hector's Restaurant, Regal Café and a tobacco shop. Leslie building has also been home to various stock brokers, the longest chain of occupancy was G. E. Leslie & Co. and later Bongard-Leslie & Co. through the 1950 and 1960.
SourcePlanning and Development Department - City of Saint John
Character‑defining elements
The character-defining elements that describe Leslie Building include:
- rectangular 4-storey massing;
- roof-line cornice with corbel bands;
- common set-back with the rest of the streetscape;
- cast iron pilasters;
- exterior brick walls;
- 2/2 vertical slide Roman arch windows with brick arches with sandstone keystones;
- window arches connected through a course of sandstone across the entire width of the building;
- window height decreasing from level to level;
- large storefront window openings and fascia above;
- transom windows.
End of the register’s text
Location
86-88 Prince William Street, Saint John, New Brunswick, E2L, Canada
45.27188° N, 66.06187° 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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From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.