Newfoundland & Labrador's Registered Heritage Structures

Alphabetical Listing by Place Listing: A-B Listing: C-F Listing: G-K Listing: L-Q Listing: R-S Listing: T-Z Heritage Tours Supplementary Articles Gazetteer Applet

The FPU (Fishermen's Protective Union) Factory/Advocate Building, constructed in 1920, is an industrial style building located within the Port Union National Heritage District, an area recognized by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

© 2004 Sir William F. Coaker Heritage Foundation (36 Kb)

Sir William Coaker founded the FPU in 1908 and established Port Union in 1917, a rare example of a town intentionally built by a labour organization. While the fishery quickly became the backbone of the town's economy, Coaker encouraged the establishment of new industries and services. The FPU Factory/Advocate Building was the site of one such diversification project, a woodworking shop set up on the building's second floor.

The building was also home to the Fishermen's Advocate, an influential and often controversial newspaper that was a voice for Coaker and the union. Established in St. John's in 1910, the newspaper moved its headquarters to Port Union in the 1920s where it remained until it ceased publication in the 1980s.

The FPU Factory/Advocate Building is currently used as an interpretation centre/museum.

The FPU Factory/Advocate Building was recognized as a Registered Heritage Structure in April 2002.