Brunswick Square is a building complex located in Uptown Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. It consists of a 3-storey shopping mall as well as a 19-storey Class A office tower. The complex contains a 700 capacity parking garage. Brunswick Square also utilizes the Inside Connection, a large pedway system connecting the complex to other prominent locations in the city such as the Saint John City Market,

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, the

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, and other areas. It is the location for the

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's Black Heritage Site, the first of its kind in New Brunswick.

History

Before its establishment, the site of Brunswick Square was once home to Manchester Robertson Allison (MRA's), a department store established in 1866 by James Manchester, James F. Robertson, and Joseph Allison. After its closure in 1973 following 107 years of business, the entire block comprising King, Germain, and Prince William Streets would be demolished to pave the way for the development of Brunswick Square, which completed in 1976. In November, a celebratory event took place, featuring the

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, Richard Hatfield, who cut a replica cake of the complex using a sword. In 2015, Brunswick Square, along with 13 other office and retail buildings in

Atlantic Canada Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (french: provinces de l'Atlantique), is the region of Eastern Canada comprising the provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec. The four provinces are New Brunswick, Newfoundlan ...

, was acquired by Slate Office REIT for $430 million. It was previously owned and sold by Fortis Properties, a subsidiary of Fortis Inc.

Closures

Brunswick Square’s shopping mall has witnessed a noticeable decline in both business and popularity over time, going from housing over 60 business locations in 2012, down to just over 20 by 2022, with nearly 40 vacant storefronts within the mall. The already-prevalent trend of declining tenants was intensified due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Apart from the location of a

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restaurant, the third floor of the mall is almost entirely empty. Numerous businesses have permanently closed their locations in the mall, including The Source,

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, GoodLife Fitness, McDonald's, Coles Books, Pizza Hut, Laura Secord and several other establishments.

References

External links

* {{Commons category-inline Buildings and structures in Saint John, New Brunswick 1976 establishments in New Brunswick Shopping malls in New Brunswick Office buildings completed in 1980 Skyscraper office buildings in Canada Economy of Saint John, New Brunswick