604 Rothesay Avenue. Image: Brunswick Brokers
A historic building in east Saint John is the home of an advanced design school looking to put Saint John and New Brunswick on the map in the industry.
CAM Institute of Design & Studio has leased 4,183 square feet of office 604 Rothesay Avenue, also known “The Maritime Singer Building.”
CAM offers a combination of Communication and Industrial design programs. The institute was founded by Winston Mendez and Kamran Mohammed and got its start out of Connexionworks, a co-working space in uptown Saint John.
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But after receiving a positive response to their programs Mohammed says they were ready to get their own location.
“We always had that vision to take it to the next level and put Saint John on the map for design and skill set that we bring to the table,” he says. “We don’t have any of that in the Atlantic region, so we always believed in the team and we took a leap of faith.”
Inside “The Maritime Singer Building.” Image: Brunswick Brokers
“The Maritime Singer Building” got its name from the Maritime Singer Six car, a luxury vehicle assembled at this location in 1913 and 1914.
The building had been redeveloped by owner Steve Belyea as a modern commercial space while maintaining much of its original character.
The space boasts high ceilings, exposed brick and beams, and large windows. The building’s original 2 ton overhead crane is still in place. Besides the CAM Institute, Base Engineering also leases space in the building.
CAM moved into the location about a month ago with a positive response from current students. Mohammed says it was the perfect fit.
“This is exactly what we were looking for,” he says. “It has a space for classes and we have a lab on the side that we can run as a prime location.”
Now that they have their own location, Mohammed the institute is now on growing its resources, which includes ordering new high-end machines which students will be using throughout their programs to work on real-world projects with clients. A new batch of students will arrive at the institute in January 2022.
“That will be a big thing to look out for,” he says. “We’re going to produce something different right here from Saint John.”
Stephanie Turner, senior advisor of Commercial Real Estate Sales & Leasing at Brunswick Brokers Limited says 604 Rothesay Avenue had been listed since February 2020. With the Covid-19 pandemic slowing down the commercial/office real estate market, she’s excited to see the space occupied.
“It’s very exciting and I’m hoping it’s a sign of great things to come,” says Turner.
Cherise Letson is the associate editor of Huddle, an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.
