Irving Oil reveals plans for new headquarters in Saint John

Irving Oil Ltd. executives revealed a new proposal to build an 11-storey headquarters in uptown Saint John, next to the Imperial Theatre.

Sarah Irving, the company's executive vice president, told the crowd that the new building will fit into the historical area in the uptown.

"Our priority is ensuring we're creating something that not only fits the character of our city, but also becomes a landmark we can all be proud of," Irving said.

The company is working with Toronto-based B + H Architects and landscape architect Alex Novell on the project. 

Irving Oil announced in October that it would build a new headquarters next to the Imperial Theatre in Saint John and brought together employees and other spectators to a Wednesday morning event to show off the new plans.

The company would not disclose how much the new building would cost. But officials said the money would come from Irving Oil's private funds.

Work on the new headquarters is expected to start in the spring, but a specific date was not given. Neither did the company give a specific date on when workers would start moving into the new headquarters.

Irving Oil intends to consolidate as many head office employees as possible at the new building.

Currently, there are about 1,000 employees in five offices scattered around the city.

This isn't the first time the oil company had promised to build a new office.

Irving Oil had announced plans to construct a new headquarters on Long Wharf in Saint John in 2008. The work had started to prepare the site, but the oil company quashed those plans in 2010, blaming the economic downturn.

At the time, the company estimated the headquarters project would cost $30 million.