A historic fort which helped defend Saint John and its harbour during war is in the midst of a multimillion-dollar restoration.
Scaffolding and tarp covering the Carleton Martello Tower for the past two years were recently removed as phase one was completed.
Cory Gaudet, asset manager with the Southern New Brunswick Field Unit of Parks Canada, said the first phase of the project came in on time and on budget.
“They reconstructed and repaired the rubble core of the structure and the exterior stonework of the structure, they realigned the outside of the structure, and they also cleaned and washed all the stones on the outside,” Gaudet said during a recent interview.
Carleton Martello Tower was built during the War of 1812 and played a crucial role in conflicts as recently as the Second World War. At about 68.5 metres above sea level at its highest point, it offers sweeping views of Saint John Harbour and the Bay of Fundy.
The nine-metre tower, one of nine surviving Martello towers in Canada, was declared a national historic site in 1924.
The exterior of Carleton Martello Tower in Saint John. (Image: Parks Canada/Submitted)
But the historic tower, battered by the elements and stressed by the weight of a two-storey concrete fire command post added during the Second World War, eventually became plagued by leaks.
The tower has been closed to visitors since 2016 after investigative work found it was in a state of critical failure. Around the same time, the federal government committed $13.5 million to restore the tower.
With phase one out of the way, planning has already begun for the second and final phase. Gaudet said the most noticeable part will be the replacement of the fire command post.
“The concrete structure itself will be replaced with a more lightweight concrete,” he said. “The overall appearance should be the same, although it will also look updated and new.”
Work will also focus on conserving the windows and doors, as well as repairing the brick vault ceiling. Once funding is secured and a contractor is hired, Gaudet said phase two will take about one year to complete.
The price tag for phase one, including design work, came in at $10.7 million. Construction for phase two is expected to be in the range of $5 million to $7 million, said Gaudet.
“It’s a very important landmark for Saint John. It stood for a long time, and at the end of this project, it will likely be there as a significant part of Saint John’s history for another 100 years to go.”
