New Brunswick Museum staying put in Saint John
After years filled with COVID-19 closures and uncertainties surrounding its future, a light can now be seen at the end of the tunnel for the New Brunswick Museum.
The museum has announced plans to move forward with a revitalization project, awarded to architect group Diamond Schmitt, for its original home on Douglas Avenue in Saint John.
“That building has been ‘the museum’ for almost a century,” says New Brunswick Museum board chair Kathy Hamer. “To expand the building with modern 21st century architecture, which will allows us to one a museum under one roof, that’s the aspiration at this point.”
The current structure on Douglas Avenue will be revamped and expanded to nearly 165,000 square feet, which will lead to the demolition of five neighbouring properties. A park on the other side of the museum will remain untouched.
Hamer says while some sections of the building will have to come down, iconic parts of the original museum like the winding staircase and main entrance will remain as true as possible to its original look.
“The face of that building has really been the iconic face of the museum for many, many years,” Hamer says. “That’s [one of] the part we hope to salvage.”
The contents of the museum had been split between Douglas Avenue and an exhibit inside uptown’s Market Square for the past few years, with both permanently closing in fall of 2022. The artifacts will be stored in Saint John at a warehouse until the museum reopens to the public.
The goal is have the museum open during the first quarter of 2026, which Hamer admits is an ambitious goal.
“We feel it’s better to set an ambitious target,” Hamer says. “Because that keeps us moving towards something without losing momentum.”
The project is estimated to come in at a cost of $150 million, which will be partially funded by government programs. Much of the money will be raised through community fundraisers.
New Brunswick Historical Society president Greg Marquis admits he was surprised to hear the museum would stay on Douglas Avenue, but is looking forward to its return.
“We are the only province that has been without a museum that was operated for tourism,” Marquis says. “But also, the museum played a number of other roles in the community as well as a meeting space.”
Marquis notes having that meeting space has been missed in recent years.
“We are trying to rebound people coming back to Saint John and the uptown areas,” Marquis says. “I think we need that, and we need that space.”
Residents will have a chance to provide their input on the museum’s new look in a series of public engagement sessions to be held around the province. Officials are hopeful to begin those meetings in the early fall of 2023.
For the latest New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Milton increases to a Category 4 hurricane as Florida prepares for massive evacuations
Milton rapidly strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane Monday on a path toward Florida population centers including Tampa and Orlando, threatening a dangerous storm surge in Tampa Bay and setting the stage for potential mass evacuations less than two weeks after a catastrophic Hurricane Helene swamped the coastline.
DEVELOPING Police in several cities to increase presence ahead of Oct. 7 anniversary
On the anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks in Israel, police departments in cities across Canada are increasing their presence in Jewish and Muslim communities, as well as at the locations of planned protests.
Lawyers for Madeleine McCann suspect seek acquittal in his German trial on unrelated sexual offence charges
Lawyers for a man who is also under investigation in the 2007 disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann called on Monday for him to be acquitted in his trial on charges of unrelated sexual offences.
Canadian scurvy case prompts advisory to doctors: It's still out there
Scurvy is not just an archaic diagnosis of 18th-century seafarers and doctors should be on the lookout for possible cases, according to researchers following a recent case.
Madonna's brother, Christopher Ciccone, dead at 63
Christopher Ciccone, a multihyphenate artist, dancer, designer and younger brother of Madonna, has died. He was 63.
Alleged suicide kit salesman files in Supreme Court to contest whether assisted suicide can ever be murder
Lawyers representing the Ontario man accused of selling hundreds of suicide kits with deadly effect around the globe have filed to intervene in a case in Canada’s highest court, arguing there is no way he can be charged with murder under Canadian law.
Rare cloud formations ripple the sky over Ottawa
A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.
Man arrested after stealing Vancouver police cruiser, driving it into neighbourhood park
A man stole a police car and drove it onto the field of an East Vancouver park Sunday morning, placing 'dozens of bystanders in harm’s way,' according to police.
War rages on multiple fronts as Israel marks a year since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack
Israelis held sombre ceremonies on Monday to mark a year since the deadliest attack in the country's history, a Hamas-led raid that shattered its sense of security and ignited wars on two fronts with no end in sight.