St. John’s Architecture

There is a distinct style of buildings in downtown St. John’s that catches your eye.

There were two major fires in St. John’s that destroyed the downtown. The first was in 1846. Then, only 50 years later, The Great Fire of 1892 left 11,000 people homeless.

Following The Great Fire, the city was quickly rebuilt.

From the Heritage article, «Architecture of St. John’s, 1892–1940» (https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/society/architecture-1892-1940.php):

John Thomas Southcott had studied architecture in England and brought the Second Empire style to St. John’s on his return around 1877. Many of the homes rebuilt after the 1892 fire, whether designed by Southcott or not, contained Second Empire design elements.

This style was so widely associated with the Southcott firm that it became known locally as the “Southcott Style.” Its distinguishing features are hooded dormer windows, ground floor bay windows and especially the mansard roof. 

But why are the buildings so colorful?

There are several different stories to explain the bright, jelly bean colored buildings in Newfoundland.

https://encounternewfoundland.com/jellybean-row-the-color-of-st-johns/

Legend says that the homes were brightly painted so fishermen, returning from the sea, could find their homes in the often thick fog.

But the reality is less, um colorful. It was in the 1970’s that the colors were adopted as a way of injecting new life in an otherwise declining city. And it caught on so much that it is now a distinctive signature of Newfoundland.

There was an official Jelly Bean Color Palette!

While the Southcott style dominated the immediate post-fire period, the Queen Anne Revival style also became common in the early decades of the 20th century.

This style was characterized by turrets, gables, large bay windows and decorative touches that give Queen Anne homes a somewhat “grand” appearance.

Homes built in the Queen Anne Revival style were primarily for those of great means.

The most grand and elaborate house of its time, Winterholme was built during a time when the wealth and power of Newfoundland’s merchants was at its height. At the time it was completed, Winterholme was one of the most expensive private dwellings ever built in Newfoundland, costing an estimated $120,000.