Fredericton landlord buys former jail, lists it for rent at $8,500 a month

Aidan Cox · CBC News

· Posted: May 12, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

A practice preservation advocator is hoping a historical downtown Fredericton gathering is spared of a fate akin to immoderate of the residents who erstwhile occupied it, pursuing its caller merchantability to a backstage existent property company.

Once the tract of nationalist executions, the erstwhile York County jailhouse was purchased successful March by a numbered institution registered to Wei Liu, who besides owns much than a dozen other commercialized and residential properties passim Fredericton.

"If they're looking to lease the building, hopefully that means that they're giving immoderate clip and information to what the the aboriginal usage volition be," said Ian Robertson, a director with Fredericton Heritage Trust.

"And hopefully, dissimilar possibly immoderate of the the erstwhile inmates of the jailhouse who whitethorn person received beingness sentences oregon adjacent decease sentences, that this gathering volition person a enactment of execution, and unrecorded to spot different time for many, galore years."

Constructed successful 1842, the gathering connected Brunswick Street, adjacent the Boyce Farmers Market, served arsenic a jailhouse until 1996 but remained steeped successful notoriety for being the site of nationalist executions — the past of which occurred in 1949, with a double-hanging.

Science East moved into the gathering successful 1999, converting the cells and a eating hallway into offices and grounds spaces, wherever it offered subject acquisition programming until aboriginal past year. Then the enactment ran into fiscal challenges.

It inactive operates without a subject centre, offering bookings for schoolhouse workshops and acquisition outreach events, according to Science East's website.

The erstwhile jailhouse was designated a provincial practice gathering successful 2003.

Listed for $1.2M, sold for $800K

While the gathering was primitively listed for merchantability for $1.2 million, provincial spot records amusement Liu's numbered institution purchased it for $800,000 successful March.

New Brunswick's firm affairs registry shows the numbered institution controls Sunfield Property, which has since listed the building for rent connected its website for $8,500 per month.

According to the listing, permitted uses see a daycare, retail, office, oregon edifice wrong the building's 10,000 square-foot level plan.

Photos shared successful the listing suggest small to nary changes person been made to the interior layout of the gathering since Science East moved out, with the organization's branding and instrumentality inactive disposable successful immoderate pictures.

CBC News requested an interrogation with Liu astir his plans for the gathering but did not person a response.

Repealing designation possible, says practice advocate

The gathering is described arsenic "pure Georgian functional architecture," successful a illustration of the erstwhile jailhouse by the Canadian Register of Historic Places, which is administered by Parks Canada.

Designed by designer Thomas Smith, it was built by section contractor Andrew Blair chiefly utilizing grey granite extracted from the Spoon Island quarry adjacent Hampstead successful confederate New Brunswick.

While Robertson finds immoderate comfortableness knowing the gathering has a provincial practice designation, helium said the caller proprietor could petition that it beryllium repealed.

"And sometimes that's indispensable unfortunately, but it's benignant of 1 measurement down the road, I guess. That puts a spot successful benignant of a questionable oregon delicate concern successful presumption of not having definite standards successful spot that has to beryllium maintained."

According to the Heritage Conservation Act, the proprietor of a provincially designated gathering indispensable person a licence from the curate of tourism, practice and civilization earlier making immoderate alterations that alteration its character-defining features.

Removal of a practice designation would a sign-off from the minister.

CBC News asked the section if the caller owner has applied to either change the gathering oregon repeal its designation.

"To date, the Department has not received immoderate inquiries oregon requests to repeal the designation," spokesperson Jean Bertin said successful an email.

"One Provincial Heritage Permit has been issued to the caller proprietor to instal replica situation bars connected the beforehand windows successful a historically due manner."