Standard Insurance Building, Dunedin

December 11, 2011
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I recently came across a post on the fantastic Dunedin Stadium blog which inspired me to write about the restoration of the former Standard Insurance Building in Dunedin. The original building was built in the 1860′s in rapidly growing Dunedin midst the Otago gold rush. The building was extensively modified in the late 1960′s and most of the external  mouldings of the Italianate architectural style were removed.

This resulted in an oddly coloured featureless building sandwiched between two larger premises. The new owner (who owns the adjacent buildings as well) has decided to refurbish the building. Part of the refurbishment involves restoring the facade to its original state. Well done to the developer for taking this initiative. I can’t wait to see what the end result looks like. I can only hope that it will do wonders for this part of Dunedin.

Here are some photos of the ongoing work.

More information on this project, including images can be found on the developers website.

Imperial Lane

December 4, 2011
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Exams are over and I have finally found the time and will to post a new update!

The Rugby World Cup is long over, summer has finally arrived and things are returning back to normal in Auckland. The first stage of the ‘shared space’ project in Auckland has been delivered and   these spaces have been fairly successful. Elliott and Fort Streets look amazing and Auckland Council reports the pedestrian count has increased significantly and there are fewer cars travelling on slower speeds.

Here is a snapshot of Elliott Street courtesy of EyeonAuckland.

Similar results have been obtained in Fort Street with new outdoor dining and a lot more activity.

Fort Lane has also been upgraded. The Imperial Lane development by Phillimore Properties is also  close to completion and will add a new dimension to this part of town.

Here are a few photos courtesy of Craigsyd.

 

More to come!

The changing face of Britomart

September 18, 2011
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I have been quite busy over the past couple of weeks and haven’t had the time to do much blogging.

Came across some photographs of the Britomart Precinct in Auckland and it’s nice to see how the area has transitioned from being an eyesore into a trendy urban area full of interesting places. What’s great about this development is how the developers have managed to incorporate the old Victorian/Edwardian into the urban fabric. The newer buildings do not stick out like sore thumbs as we typically see in Auckland.

The most exciting thing about this area is that it is ever-changing. The central site of the precinct is now home to several “pop-up” stores. Who knows what this site may be like in a few years time, but it’s nice to see empty areas have not been given away to parking. Even buildings like the Seafarers Centre (which is to be demolished in the near future for a waterfont hotel) have been spruced up and will be home to a Havaianas store.

I would encourage you all to check out www.britomart.org for updates on all the various things happening in the area.

Firstly, here are the Excelsior and Stanbeth Buildings. These old Victorian warehouses were fully refurbished last year by Cooper and Co. and are now home to interesting cafes and bars and offices.

Image Credit : Urban Explorer / Sydney - Flickr

As you can see, the parapets on top of both these buildings have been reinstated. Such a nice, rare gesture from a private developer.

This is a photo of the set of buildings in their heyday. As you can see, the Excelsior Building was literally cut in half to make way for Commerce Street.

Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 1-W106

The Buckland Building right next door has also recieved similar refurbishment. I understand that the Buckland Building will undergo internal redevelopment soon.

Thanks to Urban Explorer/Sydney - Flickr for the photos

Craigsydnz - Flickr

 

A HUGE contrast from what it all looked like originally. This could be Downtown Detroit for all we know.

 

Craigsydnz - Flickr

The Eastern side of the precinct has seen new development over the past couple of years. The new Westpac and Ernst & Young buildings have injected thousands of workers into the area. The buildings are also sympathetic to the area.

Credit: Britomart NZ

What’s great is that there is a lot more to come!!

Some of the temporary pop up stores:

 

craigsydnz - Flickr

 

craigsydnz- Flickr

Here is a reminder of how uninviting and unattractive the area was about a decade ago.

A walk through Newton

September 6, 2011
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Newton is a historic suburb located on the outskirts of Auckland’s central business district area. A large part of the suburb was diminished when the Central Motorway Junction was built in the 1970′s. While many of the historic houses and buildings do not remain anymore, here are some of the more prominent buildings that remain.

St Benedict’s Street is home to a number of historical buildings. St Benedicts Catholic Church is located on the northern edge. This brick church in the Flemish Gothic style dates from 1886 and replaces an earlier wooden church which burnt down.

 

Just across the road is a two storied brick house for an order of nuns.

Just besides the church is a Gothic styled Presbytery.

Going down St Benedict’s Street, you will also come across the old Masonic Hall. This large imposing building was built in the neo-classical style.

On Newton Road is the old Orange Coronation Ballroom. The original hall was built in 1923 as a tribute to David Goldie, grand master loyal of the Orange Institute of New Zealand, and is currently owned by the Auckland Orange Hall Society – a branch of Irish Protestants in New Zealand. Beautiful interwar stripped classicism style.

Hope you enjoyed this little tour through some of Newton’s back streets.

 

Auckland Town Hall

September 4, 2011
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I have always been intrigued by the architecture of the Auckland Town Hall. The building was opened on 14 December 1911 and the Italian Renaissance Revival style design for the building was chosen out of 46 proposals. I have just come across some of those very interesting designs.

Firstly, here is how the building looks today. The building was originally designed to fit the wedge shaped piece of land between Queen Street and Lower Grey Street. The lower part of Grey Street gave way to what is now Aotea Square, but the town hall still stands on it’s prominent CBD location.

Image Credit: Crystal:D, flickr

 

Here are some of the other proposals that did not make the cut.

Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 255A-7404

 

Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 255A-7408

 

The following proposal was by W and H Black of Melbourne and was awarded 2nd prize. It looks very similar to the design that was selected. The only difference is the dome and the statues.

 

Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 7-A9272

 

The third prize went to Clegg and Miller of Ballarat for this striking design incorporating a portico and a tower. I really like the statues (of Britannia?) that are used in these designs.

Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 7-A9273

 

It would be interesting to see why some of these designs were not chosen. Which one is your favourite?

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