The Newfoundland Railway Station is a two-and-one-half storey, stone, Second Empire building with a Chateau-style roof situated on the south side of Water Street a short distance west of the harbour basin in St. John’s, NL. The designation includes the footprint of the building and the original statue “Maid of Industry” near the front facade.
Formal Recognition Type
City of St. John's Heritage Building, Structure, Land or Area
Heritage Value
The Newfoundland Railway Station is designated a Municipal Heritage Structure by the City of St. John’s because it has historic, aesthetic and cultural values.
The Newfoundland Railway Station has historic value because of its association with the beginning of the railway in Newfoundland. Commissioned by Robert G. Reid, a prominent Newfoundland entrepreneur, the railway station was constructed as the primary terminal for his new railway in 1901. The station was designed by W.H. Massey, Chief Structural Engineer for the Reid Newfoundland Company. The construction of the railway signaled the first of its kind in the colony and was to be the impetus for laying branch lines island-wide. The building of the railway station was just one aspect of the very lucrative and wide-ranging Railway Contract of 1898.
The Newfoundland Railway Station has aesthetic value because it is an elegant example of the Second Empire style combined with Chateau style. The central pavilion is flanked by two wings at either side of the rectangular building under chateau-style copper roofs. The decorative shaped gable at the center pavilion is offset by the sharply peaked gables on the wings and there are several types of windows: rectangular, circular, arched and oval. Rusticated granite walls are additionally enhanced by the high quality of craftsmanship in the masonry detailing of voussoirs, brackets, surrounds and sills. Further, the central bracketed canopy, which once sheltered rail passengers, holds pride of place over the front door.
The Newfoundland Railway Station holds cultural value because it is a reminder of the importance of the railway to Newfoundland. The construction of the rail lines connected many communities by land where they had previously only been accessible by water. The spirit of the railway age is also reflected in the statue, “Maid of Industry”, which has always stood before the building. Erected after the turn of the 20th century, it is the work of Reid’s stonemason, Charlie Henderson, and it is a tribute to his co-workers. This statue has been individually designated by the City of St. John’s as a cultural landscape feature.
Source: Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, 1 Springdale Street, P.O. Box 5171, St. John’s, NL, A1C 5V5
Character Defining Elements
All those exterior elements of Second Empire and Chateau styles as well as those key elements of its railway history, including:
-symmetrical façade;
-copper Chateau-style roofs;
-shaped and pointed gables;
-varied window treatments, sizes and shapes;
-rusticated granite walls;
-voussoirs, brackets, surrounds and sills;
-bracketed canopy;
-general massing, location, orientation, dimensions; and
-all window and door openings.
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