Rendering of 78 Prince William Street. Image: Submitted.
The Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce is moving back to where it all started next year.
The organization announced Thursday that it will be moving from its current office at 40 King Street to 78 Prince William Street in 2021.
The move holds major historical significance for the Chamber, as it’s in the same city block where the Chamber was formed 201 years ago.
“It was on April 5th, 1819 that a group of businesses met at Cody’s Coffee House on the corner of Prince William and King Streets to discuss the formation of an association to represent their interests,” said David Duplisea, CEO of the Saint John Region Chamber, in a news release. “Two hundred years later, we’re moving back home.”
The Chamber says it will work with local developers Historica Developments to revitalize the heritage building. With the security of a long-term lease arrangement, Historica plans to invest significant capital into the building, including work on façade restoration and interior space improvements according to the Chamber’s design specifications.
“We are very pleased to be working with the Chamber and are incredibly excited that they chose our building on Prince William Street to be their new home for many years to come,” said Keith Brideau, CEO of Historica Developments, in a release. “As a result of this development, we will be modernizing the ground level office space, investing in improving the building’s exterior and designate the building as The Chamber Building.”
The Chamber will occupy approximately 1,500 square feet on the street-level floor of the building.
“We are beyond excited to see this take place,” said Duplisea. “We always like to give a nod to our past while keeping our eyes on the future, so this new location is highly appropriate. It’s reflective of our longstanding contributions to the region. And the modern upgrades our collaborative partner Historica Developments will undertake on our behalf will allow us to stay current and provide the services our innovative business members need to grow and thrive.”
Along with the office space, The Chamber will relocate and expand its ‘History Wall’ of photos showcasing several historically significant figures, milestones, and Saint John region firsts. Plans are in the works to have the wall be open for public viewing in the New Year.
The Chamber expects to be fully relocated in the new building by June 2021.
“It’s a high traffic, prominent location,” said Duplisea. “The store-front style entrance means high visibility and easy access for our members and visitors. Prince William Street was known as the Wall Street of Canada for much of the last century, so we’re absolutely thrilled with the high profile, ear-to-the-ground location of our new office.”
This story was originally published by Huddle, an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.
