The St. John's Courthouse was designated a heritage structure because it has historic, aesthetic, cultural and environmental values. The St. John's Courthouse has historic value because it was built as the fourth courthouse in St. John's, the previous three having been destroyed. The first courthouse and jail, made of wood, was constructed in 1730 and remained for 100 years on roughly the same site as the present courthouse. Due to its age it was removed, and in 1831 a second building was constructed. It was two stories tall in order to accommodate the public hangings which were staged from the second story window. In 1846 this courthouse was destroyed by fire and a third building was erected as a Market House and Courthouse. When this building burned in the Great Fire of 1892 the courthouses were moved to other buildings within the city. In 1899 the government decided to build a new courthouse and the contract was awarded to Samuel Manners Brookfield for a final cost of $128,000. This contract was awarded amidst great controversy, since Brookfield was a Nova Scotian who planned to use materials for the building’s construction from his home province. Adverse publicity resulted in the use of local materials.