June 27, 2008

Building New Brunswick: An Architectural History

Book heralds province’s place in history of Canadian architecture

FREDERICTON

A new book on architecture in New Brunswick is a treat for history buffs, especially those who live in parts of Canada where buildings are considered “old” if they date from the early 20th century.

Building New Brunswick: An Architectural History (Goose Lane) is the first of its kind in Canada, says author John Leroux — a complete survey of a province’s building styles stretching from aboriginal birchbark techniques to modern steel-and-glass structures.

Canadians who think of New Brunswick as a have-not backwater are in for a surprise as they peruse the rich array of photos and sketches documenting the large homes and splendid public buildings.

Leroux, a Fredericton architect, says New Brunswick was the perfect province to write about because it’s small enough that every place of interest is within an easy drive, and it’s old — European settlement stretches back over 400 years.

He describes the province as the “cradle of architecture” in Canada.

“People come here from Saskatchewan and their jaws drop because they say, ‘Our oldest buildings are from the ‘40s,’ ” he says, noting that New Brunswick has many 18th-century and early 19th-century buildings still in daily use.

The book is about more than buildings.

The most beautiful buildings in the province were built during times of prosperity, when Loyalists shaped a new future in a land of promise and when sailing ships from Saint John plied the world’s oceans.

“When we were economically vibrant, when times were tough, what people cared about, what values people had — it’s all told in the architecture, through the chronicle of our buildings,” Leroux says.

Leroux takes a close look at modern architecture in the province, finding much to admire and quite a bit to condemn.

New Brunswick has a large inventory of homes from the 18th and 19th centuries which are still in good shape and remain family residences — proof that wood and stone are indeed durable building materials.

“You can only touch so much plastic before you feel a little bit dehumanized,” he says of today’s fast, cheap home construction.

“With the older homes you get a sense of wood, stone and glass.

“They were well built. Lots of homes today are built quickly, for profit. They’re built cheaply. We’ve lost that sense of quality. Everything now is about being fast, but 100 years ago everyone accepted that construction would take time. “

Canadian Press

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