Cambridge Terrace Post Office (Former)

• 1930
• Construction of Post Office building
• 1972
• 21-23 Cambridge Terrace, demolition (00058:792:C35617)
• unknown
• 21-23 Cambridge Terrace – additions and alterations – café (00059:458:E22413)
• unknown
• 22 Cambridge Terrace, office building additions and alterations (00059:408:E20902)
• 1994
• 21-23 Cambridge Terrace – additions and alterations – café (00059:458:E22413)
• 2002
• 22 Cambridge Terrace, removal of 5.5 x 7.5 advertising sign from north wall of Oriental Chambers (00078:831:85471)
• unknown
• 22 Cambridge Terrace, demolition and stage 1 of backpackers (00078:2377:101550)
• 2003
• 22 Cambridge Terrace, new basement floor bar & facilities, interior refit to existing building - change to accommodation for backpackers. 3 part floors of new construction for accommodation – PIM (00078:1792:99249

• 1930 - 1968
• New Zealand Government New Zealand Government (Postal Department)
• 2003
• X-Base Holdings Ltd – Base Backpackers

Not assessed

The former Cambridge Terrace Post Office is an eight-storey 1920s civic building that is a significant example of the work of Government Architect, John Mair.

In designing for this narrow inner city site, the architect has emphasised the vertical to produce a neatly-contrived effect of height and civic importance. The middle section of the building is eight-storeys high, the two flanking ‘wings’ are six storeys. The inter-war Classical style is most evident in the middle section of the first two storeys. Here, four pilasters with Ionic capitals are capped by an architrave, frieze, and cornice in something of a classical temple motif. The storey above hints at an attic storey, with a plain cornice below a scrolled crest carrying the Post Office coat of arms. The window fenestration is painted steel joinery, a departure from the Classical model. The emphasis of the upper façade and the two ‘wings’ is more contemporary, with a functional emphasis on interior light through plain windows. The top-storey windows of the middle section are arched, which gives a subtle indication of greater volume within.

This building contains an intriguing blend of Classical and Art Deco motifs in its design, highlighted in the juxtaposition of characteristic Deco set-backs and vertical proportions to the two wings, the strong Neo-Classical composition of the central block, all resting on a Classically inspired base, which is particularly distinctive for the giant arches.

Steel framing

The former Post Office building has high townscape value and is one of the most visually interesting buildings on Cambridge Terrace. As a part of the Courtenay Place Heritage Area, it is a part of a large open area made up of a number of important historic buildings. This area is characterised by a high proportion of old commercial buildings of a wide range of purposes, styles, and scales.

• 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 former Cambridge Terrace Post Office is an excellent representative of a civic building designed in the transitional Classical/Art Deco style of the 1920s and 1930s. It is a significant work by Government Architect, John Mair and is notable for the strong vertical emphasis of its well-designed, and well-proportioned, street 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 has a group relationship with the other heritage buildings in the Courtenay Place Heritage Area, on Cambridge Terrace, and at the Eastern End of Courtenay Place.

• 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 has significant townscape presence because of its height and distinctive architecture, adding considerable visual interest to the street.

• Association

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

  This building served an important purpose as a post office for over 60 years, and represents something of the importance that this benign state institution had in our recent history. Its ownership and use have passed from the public to the private sector, reflecting social and political change from the late 1960s onwards.

  The former Post Office is also a significant work of the Government architect John Mair and an excellent example of his architectural style.

• Archaeological

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

  This building is situated in the NZAA Central City archaeological area R27/270 and on land that is known to have had pre 1900 human activity.

• Technological

  Does the item have technological value for its innovative or important construction methods or use of materials?

  There is some technical value in the steel construction of this building. It is an early example of the use of this technique by Mair, and can be seen as a precursor to his later work.

• 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 commercial buildings on Courtenay Place which all date from the early 20th century and contribute to the sense of place and continuity of the Courtenay Place 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 exterior of this building has retained a high level of authenticity, although its prominence has been reduced recently by new high-rise developments nearby. The interior has been through a number of alterations and have less integrity.

• Representative

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

  This building is a good representative of the transitional style of architecture in the 1920s and 1930s, and is a visually interesting blend of Classical motifs and Art Deco.

• Importance

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

  This is a locally important building that has a place in our national history. It is important in the context of a local post office serving the needs of the community for over 60 years. It is a representative of the old order of benign government institutions that were subject to dramatic changes in the late 20th century.

Not assessed

• Historic Places Trust, ‘Mair, John Thomas’, Professional Biographies, accessed 12 July 2013,
• Shoebridge, Tim. 'Mail and couriers - Mail in the 20th century', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 13-Jul-12, accessed 12 July 2013,
• Wellington City Council. Wellington Heritage Building Inventory 2001: Non-Residential Buildings. Wellington City Council, 2001.
• Newspapers: ‘New City Post Office’, Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 21, 25 January 1930, page 11.
• Newspapers: ‘New Post Office’, Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 145, 16 December 1931, page 13.
• Newspapers: ‘New Post Office’, Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 152, 28 June 1926, Page 10.

• Inventory Report
• 1991 plans

Not available