Incorporated in 2008, Historica acquires, develops and manages over forty buildings in Saint John, N.B.’s Uptown core. The company’s first major development was the revival of the former Aberdeen Hotel on a city block bordered by Canterbury, Princess and Prince William streets. After close to two years of intense work, the brick building dating back to 1878 eventually became home to popular pubs, including Big Tide Brewing Company, Cask & Kettle, Eighty-Three Bar Arcade, offices and high-quality residential suites.

The high demand for the residential units — which were rented out before the project was complete — indicated there was an unsatisfied need for high-quality rentals in Saint John’s historic Uptown, fueling Historica’s vision to further develop some of the city’s grandest, yet most under-utilized architectural treasures.

Over time, Historica purchased and tastefully renovated numerous buildings that had deteriorated over time, such as “Historica Riviera,” at 93 Prince William St., offering stunning views of the Saint John harbour, and “Historica Royale,” at 80 King St., which houses a trendy boutique shoe store (The Urban Shoe Myth) and three stories of high-quality loft apartments. Other projects include “The Warehouse,” formerly known as the Hayward & Warwick buildings, which housed a well-known China and gift store. The buildings have since been transformed to include Refresh Spa, Flewwelling Photography, twenty-five upscale apartments and Historica’s head office.

More recently, Historica redeveloped the Canterbury Carpark on Canterbury Street and attracted Picaroons, Pomodori Pizza, and Paddington Station, and built several chic apartments on the upper floors. They also completely redeveloped the time-honored “Bustin’s” furniture building on Germain Street, which runs along Grannan Street to Canterbury Street — quickly creating one of the city’s newest hot spots. The building is home to Italian by Night, Five & Dime, Marci’s, and several loft style apartments and office spaces.

In addition to these projects, Historica redeveloped “Parrtown Place”, which consists of two buildings located at 28-38 King Street into twenty-five luxury apartments on the upper five floors.  Commercial tenants include Ta-ke Sushi & Subway Restaurants.

Historica also has plans to continue investing in Saint John’s Uptown with further projects expected over the coming years, building an even stronger portfolio of high-quality residential, commercial and office space.