Our Historic Building

This face-on view of the old Charlotte Street School shows the oldest section of the building, which dates from 1884. It was designed by James C. Dumaresq of Halifax, NS, who also designed the New Brunswick legislature, and Harry H. Mott of Saint John, NB.

The original school had six classrooms, three on each floor. An addition to the building in 1916 added two classrooms and an auditorium at the rear, as well as toilets on both floors: girls on one floor, boys on the other.

Workmen renovating the old grade one classroom discovered lists of pupils’ names from 1917 on an unerased blackboard underneath the newer slates. From other writing, we know this was posted in November.

Thanks to the generosity of two former Charlotte Street School students: prominent Canadian artist Mary Pratt and her sister Barbara Cross, whose grandmother’s name is written on the blackboards, we have preserved these boards under glass. To date, we haven’t deciphered what the stars after the names signify.

The names on the first board are: Margaret Fordley, Daisy Falles, Janice Fowler, Marguerite Gillis, Elizabeth McLellan, Katherine McMurray, Margaret McMullen, Betty Neill, Jean Palmer, Hester Shute, Marjorie Shannon, Eva Shepherd, Constance Hanson, Marion Johnston, Doris Fuller, Frances Cruikshank, Wayne Bebbington, Stuart Bull, David Crowe, Handford Fowler, Jack Limerick, Ralph Limerick, Gordon Neill, John Randolph, George Sypher, Herbert Smith, Mac Thomas, Roland Ward, Roy Parent and Davis.

On the second board, the names are: Stuart Brownlee, Edward Bell, Donald Day, Edward Edgecombe, Ernest Falles, Brice Gillis, Pat Gunter, Norman McLeod, Billy ??, Donald Smith, Borden Johnson, Louise Colter, Ella Chapell, Geraldine Fulton, Rita Foster, Marjorie Hobkirk, Irene Harrison, Marjorie Malloy, Jean McLeod, Mary Neill, Dorothy Ring and Mabel Smith.

Renovating the old school has been a challenge and an experience. The fact that it was left vacant and unheated for four years compounded the difficulty. After 90 years as a public school, the building was used by the school board for offices, special education, a resource centre for teachers and finally, an audio-visual centre. Under the later ownership of the province, it housed community college programs.

Charlotte Street School in the 1950s had eight classrooms, and two largish rooms in the lower level which were used: one for art and one as a library.

The room at left is typical of the airy classrooms. Since it stopped being a school, other users divided the rooms into smaller spaces, a few of which are being retained. The school's wiring and plumbing are now fully modern and the major structural work is complete.

Much more remains to be done. Fund-raising will continue to be a priority for the immediate future. Please see our expansion project page for more information.