Commercial Building

• 1907
• Construction (7835)
• 1935
• Verandah removed and replaced (B14581)
• 1942
• Damage by earthquake (00009:2143:50/1054/247)
• 1949
• Earthquake repairs (removing parapet) 1949 (plans and all correspondence dated 1947) (B28534)
• 2000
• Conversion from retail to café (00078:1725:70774)
• 2001
• New bakery and café (SR76065)
• 2001
• New verandah (SR78147)
• 2001
• New basement access and alterations (SR82910)
• 2001
• $25,000 WCC Building Strengthening Grant and encumbrance to WCC (WN-708880)
• 2002
• New bar (the Good Luck Bar) (SR88103)
• 2002
• New apartment fit out with decks levels 3 and 4 (SR93232)

• 1910 - 1916
• Albert Jenkinson, photographer (Stones1910-11, 1915-16)
• 1920 - 1930
• Mrs Marie Dean, photographer (Stones1920, 1925, 1930)
• 1950 - 1968
• Whale Brothers, butchers (Wises1950-51, 1955, 1961-62, 1967-68)
• 1967
• Mantle Company (Wises1967-68)
• 1967 - 1972
• Raymond Crouch Ltd, chemist (Wises1967-68, 1971-72)
• 1971
• fabric shop (Wises1971-72) Not listed 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990.
• 2012
• Goodluck Club (basement), Friendly Bakery (ground floor), offices (first floor), Optimal Usability (second floor), two apartments (third floor and rooftop addition)

Not assessed

The façade of this four storey Edwardian commercial building has been much altered from its original form, but the building retains a strong presence on the streetscape of the Cuba Street Heritage Area. The removal of the fine original verandah, the tall parapet and the triangular pediment have stripped away some of the building’s original charisma, but the remaining building elements can be read as a neatly proportioned Stripped Classical façade. The building is not altogether unadorned and the remaining Classical elements include the distinctive balconies with cornices and heavy consoles on the third and fourth floors, and the slender Corinthian pilasters between the central windows on the fourth floor.

The Cuba Street façade is unusual for its extensive use of “special” shaped bricks that form the moulded column profiles and are a rare and distinctive feature of this building.

The ground floor shop-fronts have been much altered, as has the modern glazed verandah. These poorly designed elements detract from the streetscape of the Cuba Street Heritage Area and are an intrusive addition to this otherwise carefully proportioned heritage building.

The construction is load-bearing brick masonry on concrete foundation and piles. Compound girders carry the structural load across the shop frontage, and iron stanchions and steel joists provide internal support for timber members; the roof trusses are timber.

Special shaped bricks on the Cuba Street façade.

The building is set towards the end of Block 3 of the Cuba Street Heritage Area. Block 3 extends along the principal pedestrian zone of Cuba Mall and includes the local landmark of the Bucket Fountain and a variety of landscaping, trees and street furniture and a number of interesting and important buildings. Block 3 and Block 4 have the highest concentration of Edwardian commercial buildings in Cuba Street and consequently have the highest architectural, heritage and streetscape value in Cuba Street. The block is notable as the location of the most important of the surviving Edwardian buildings in the Cuba Street Heritage Area. The characteristic scale is three tall stories, a level defined by the Wellington Working Men’s Club and reflected in the Farmers Building, Hotel Bristol, Barbers Building, and others. There are a number of two-storied buildings, including Iko Iko and the former Gear Meat building. This building (no. 126) is the tallest building on the block at a high four stories.

Next door to no. 126 is a pair of modern buildings which do not contribute to the heritage or streetscape values of the block – the Tattoo City building which is distinctive only for its bright red paint, and the pastel-coloured concrete block Hallenstein building.

Beyond these two modern buildings there is a pair of Edwardian neo-Classical buildings, at no. 116, three stories tall built in 1917 and featuring elaborate verandah stays, and no. 118 (Iko Iko, two stories tall, completed in 1902). The shop-front of Iko Iko is reasonably original and this pair of buildings makes a strong contribution to the architectural, streetscape and heritage values of the block. Next to no. 118 is the Left Bank – an extension to Cuba Mall.

Most of the buildings have flat-roofed verandahs attached at the first floor which have a strong similarity of form and scale; several buildings have fire-escapes leading down to these verandahs. The street edge reads very strongly in this block with nearly all the buildings conforming to the common line.

The northern entrance to the block is bracketed to the west with the historically important Deka building and the southern entrance is bracketed to the west by the former Gear Meat building, constructed in 1896.

• Architectural

  Does the item have architectural or artistic value for characteristics that may include its design, style, era, form, scale, materials, colour, texture, patina of age, quality of space, craftsmanship, smells, and sounds?

  The façade of this four storey Edwardian commercial building has been much altered, but the building retains a strong presence on the streetscape of the Cuba Street Heritage Area. The removal of the fine original verandah, the tall parapet and the triangular pediment have stripped away some of the building’s original charisma, but the remaining building elements can be read as a neatly proportioned Stripped Classical façade.

• Group

  Is the item part of a group of buildings, structures, or sites that taken together have coherence because of their age, history, style, scale, materials, or use?

  This building is part of a group of Edwardian commercial buildings on Cuba Street and makes a positive contribution to the Cuba Street Heritage Area.

  
  

  The ground floor shop-fronts have been much altered, as has the modern glazed verandah. These poorly designed elements detract from the streetscape of the Cuba Street Heritage Area and are an intrusive addition to this otherwise carefully proportioned heritage building. 

  
  

• Townscape

  Does the item have townscape value for the part it plays in defining a space or street; providing visual interest; its role as a landmark; or the contribution it makes to the character and sense of place of Wellington?

  This building, the tallest on the block, retains a strong presence in the streetscape. This building sits in the heart of the highest concentration of Edwardian commercial buildings in Wellington, the centrepiece of the Cuba Street Heritage Area.

• Association

  Is the item associated with an important person, group, or organisation?

  This building has historic value for its association with JC Maddison, a notable Christchurch based architect.

• Association

  Is the item associated with an important historic event, theme, pattern, phase, or activity?

  This building is associated with the strong growth and development of Cuba Street during the Edwardian period, which resulted in the building of many fine commercial buildings.

• Archaeological

  Does the item have archaeological value for its ability to provide scientific information about past human activity?

  It is known that there has been pre-1900 human activity on the site; hence this site has potential archaeological value.

• Identity Sense Of Place Continuity

  Is the item a focus of community, regional, or national identity? Does the item contribute to sense of place or continuity?

  This building is part of a group of Edwardian commercial buildings on Cuba Street which contribute to the sense of place and continuity of the Cuba Street Heritage Area.

• Authentic

  Does the item have authenticity or integrity because it retains significant fabric from the time of its construction or from later periods when important additions or modifications were carried out?

  The building has been much altered from its original form with the loss of the ornate parapet, pediment and verandah, but the façade from first to fourth floor level inclusive, retains much of the original building fabric and is of particular note for the distinctive balconies at third and fourth floor levels.

• Local Regional National International

  Is the item important for any of the above characteristics at a local, regional, national, or international level?

  This building is of local importance, as it contributes to the Cuba Street Heritage Area.

• Representative

  Is the item a good example of the class it represents?

  The building is representative of the architecture and history found in Cuba Street.

Not assessed

• Progress, Volume IV, Issue 1, 2 November 1908, Page 21
• WC Archives, 00056:165:B14581
• Wellington City Council, Cuba Street Heritage Area spreadsheet (blocks 1-3). (Wellington City Council: Unpublished report, prepared for Plan Change 48, 2006).
• Historic Places Trust, “Maddison, Joseph Clarkson”, Professional Biographies. Accessed 26 June 2012.
• Wellington City Council, “126 Cuba Street”, Wellington Heritage Building Inventory 2001: Non-Residential Buildings. Wellington City Council, 2001. CUBA 14.
• Michael Kelly and Russell Murray, Cuba Street Heritage Area Report. (Wellington City Council: Unpublished report, prepared for Plan Change 48, 2006).

• Inventory Report
• 1907 plans
• 1935 plans
• 1935 specifications
• 1947 plans
• 2001 plans

Not available