Historic Saint John Building Has New Owners and New Name
SAINT JOHN – A historic building in uptown Saint John has new owners and a new name.
The Buckley Building, located at 82-84 Germain Street, has been purchased by two couples, Brendan A. Bates (vice-president of Toss Solutions) and his partner Angela Hunter along with Suzie and Shane Furlong.
Stephanie Turner of Partners Global, the agent who represented the building’s seller, said in a recent blog post that “the new owners intend to convert the top floor to residential for their personal use and add a rooftop patio” and have renamed the building “The Fairweather.”
The building is a three storey brick Italianate-style commercial building on the street’s east end. It was constructed between 1877 and 1881 after two-thirds of the City of Saint John was destroyed by the great fire in 1877. The building was owned by G. Ernest Fairweather from 1888 until 1920. Fairweather was a prominent architect who designed many buildings in Saint John. Today, the building’s ground-level floor is home to the Saint John Yoga Co-op and Loyalist Books and Coins. Brendan Bates told Huddle the building’s first two floors occupied by the businesses will remain undisturbed.
The new owners have created a Facebook page so people can follow the building’s progress. Bates says work on the building will begin next week.