Former Newfoundland Railway Headquarters

HSMBC Plaque Location

St. John's, Newfoundland

Owner/Administrator

 

Date Designated:  1988

Plaque Status: Plaqued in 1994

Reason for Designation

 Headquarters and terminus of Newfoundland railway system, 1903


 

Other Info

 

G.P.S co-ordinates:47 degrees 33'16.21"N, 52 degrees 42'49.13 

 

Plaque Text

 

FORMER NEWFOUNDLAND RAILWAY HEADQUARTERS 

L'ANCIEN SIEGE SOCIAL DU CHEMIN DE FER DE TERRE-NEUVE 

 

This remarkable building served as headquarters and terminus of the Newfoundland railway system. Begun in 1881, the railway played a significant role in the development of the island. Its benefits were evident by the eve of World War I, as new interior towns were established to exploit rich timber and mineral resources. The railway line, achieved at a high cost to the colonial treasury, dominated Newfoundland politics for decades. Completed in 1903, this building combines elements of the Second Empire and Château styles in the massing of the pavilions and the design of the gables.

 

Cet attrayant bâtiment abritait autrefois le siège social et le terminus du réseau ferroviaire de Terre-Neuve.  Celui-ci, dont la construction débuta en 1881, joua un rôle important dans le développement de l'île.  A la veille de la Première Guerre mondiale, il favorisa l'exploitation des richesses forestières et minières de l'intérieur.  Mais le coût élevé de sa construction domina  la scène politique terre-neuvienne pendant plusieurs décennies.  Les pavillons et les gables de ce bâtiment, achevé en 1903, réunissent des éléments des styles Second Empire et Château 

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