New designs for New Brunswick Museum in Saint John released

A commitment of $108 million has been pledged for the New Brunswick Museum’s expanded Saint John collections and exhibition centre, with new designs for the project unveiled.

“This is the 45th time we’ve been up to bat,” said William Forrestall, New Brunswick Museum vice-chairperson, noting 44 previous attempts over 50 years to move a new museum project forward.“This time we hit it out of the park.”

A rendering of the New Brunswick Museum’s expanded collections and exhibition centre on Douglas Avenue in Saint John, scheduled to open in 2026. (Rendering by PLAY-TIME, Courtesy of Diamond Schmitt)A promise of $49.9 million in federal funding and $58 million in provincial funding was announced for the project on Monday.

A capital fundraising project is also underway for the new exhibition and collection space, scheduled to open in 2026.

Previous estimates have pegged the entire project at $150 million.

It was confirmed last summer the expanded space would be built as part of the museum’s original Douglas Avenue building, which opened in 1934.

The 134,000-square-foot collections and exhibition centre will maintain the historic façade of the 90-year-old New Brunswick Museum building. A rendering shows the expanded facility, with the Saint John River in the background. (Rendering by PLAY-TIME, Courtesy of Diamond Schmitt)

'More than just a museum'

Toronto-based architectural firm, Diamond Schmitt, shared new renderings of the project at Monday’s funding announcement.

New space for exhibitions, research, and public gatherings will be included in the expanded New Brunswick Museum facility in Saint John. A rendering shows an atrium area in the building. (Rendering by PLAY-TIME, Courtesy of Diamond Schmitt)

“It’s going to be more than just a museum space, but a community space as well,” said project architect Emily Baxter, who grew up in Saint John. “Working on this project is really a dream come true for me.”

“I think I had to pinch myself when we first won the project,” she added.

A rendering shows the New Brunswick Museum’s expanded facility from Marble Cove on the Saint John River. (Rendering by PLAY-TIME, Courtesy of Diamond Schmitt)The 134,000-square-foot facility will maintain the historic facade of the 90-year-old building, and add new space for exhibitions, research, and public gatherings.

“The museum is going to have a stunning rooftop terrace that overlooks on the east Saint John Harbour, and on the west out to Marble Cove and the Saint John River,” says Baxter. “We’re really looking forward to bringing and giving those views back to the community.”

A pledge of $49.9-million in federal, and $58-million in provincial funding has been announced for the New Brunswick Museum’s expansion in Saint John. A rendering shows the exterior of the facility from Douglas Avenue. (Rendering by PLAY-TIME, Courtesy of Diamond Schmitt)

'This was the site'

The New Brunswick Museum has offered no permanent exhibition space to the public since Thanksgiving weekend of 2020, when heavy rain caused part of the roof to collapse at its former Market Square site.

The museum moved all items out of Market Square in October 2022.

All museum artifacts and research work have been moved to a facility on Lancaster Avenue.

The “search” for a new location never went far, according to New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs.

“There was a lot of debate about where it should go. Should it be here? Should it be there? For me, and I think for my colleagues, there wasn’t a debate,” said Higgs at Monday’s announcement. “This was the site.”

In 2017, Brian Gallant’s Liberal government made a commitment of $50 million for a new exhibition and collections centre in uptown Saint John. The project was cancelled shortly after the Higgs’ PC government was elected in 2018.

Later to reporters, Higgs said the 2017 project was cancelled in part due to its uptown location, adding “we can afford it at this time.” 

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