1 Chipman Hill

One of our flagship buildings, 1 Chipman Hill has been designated as a National Historic Site.  The property features paintings that are remarkable for the range of trompe l’oeil effects and skillful execution and reflect the taste of the High Victorian era.  These works, probably executed in the 1870s, were expressions of the wealth of a successful entrepreneur, and are rare surviving examples of early artistic painted decoration in a Canadian home.

Not only does this property have significant heritage value for these exceptional paintings, but it also played a role as part the boundary of the area destroyed by the Great Fire of 1877.  The hard work that was put into saving the Chipman Hill properties from the flames broke the fire and helped prevent its spread to Union Street.

1 and 5 Chipman Hill date to the mid-19th century.  They were built as single family homes for brothers-in-law Aaron Hastings and Robert Armstrong, both of whom were Protestant Irish. Armstrong and Hastings bought the lots of land from Elizabeth Chipman in 1854.  She was the widow of Ward Chipman, for whom the street was named.  By 1859 both men went bankrupt and lost their homes in an 1860 public auction. Over the ensuing years the homes were owned by prominent businessmen like James Moran, or politicians like Senator James Dever, or doctors like McCarthy and Pratt.  Four generations of the Pratt family lived at 1 Chipman Hill, and it is for that family that 1 Chipman Hill is also known – Pratt House.

Pratt House has eleven units, all of which are open concept except for the penthouse which occupies the entire fourth floor (no gym membership necessary once you start climbing those stairs on a daily basis!), and a lovely 2-bedroom unit on the 2nd floor.  The two smallest units each feature a double bed with 3-piece en-suite bathroom (shower only, no tub), while the other nine suites all have full en-suite bathrooms with airpool tubs.  The three smallest units have fully equipped kitchenettes, while the rest have full kitchens.  The most common type of unit at this property is an executive open concept suite with king bed, full kitchen and full bathroom… great as a vacation option on a nightly basis but also very comfortable for a monthly stay for one or two guests.  1 Chipman Hill has laundry facilities on each floor which are free for guest use with complimentary detergent, making it very convenient for guests to launder clothes if you’ve been on the road for a while (or just spilled something on your shirt at dinner when you’d been planning to wear it to breakfast the next day!). Each suite is equipped with an iron and ironing board.

The Chipman Hill/Union Street properties are just a parking lot away from the Canada Games Aquatic Centre, where you can gain easy access to the indoor pedway system that links much of the Uptown, including the Saint John City Market, the shops of Brunswick Square and Market Square, the Saint John Free Public Library, the New Brunswick Museum, and even Harbour Station! Neighbours include the Saint John City Police, the Saint John Law Courts, the Saint John Arts Centre, and Vito’s Restaurant. The buildings are just one block down Union Street from Loyalist House.

For information on parking at 1 Chipman Hill, please ask our friendly Innkeepers.

For a map showing the location of each of our nine properties, please click here.

1 Chipman Hill has a Walk Score of 97.

As with all Chipman Hill Suites properties, this building is 100% smoke free. Smoking of any substance, recreational or medicinal, is prohibited within in its walls, or outside within 9 metres of any entrance.