Westpac Building

• 1936
• Building built. (00056:166:B14749)
• 1959
• Building alterations. (00058:108:C5250)
• 1977
• Converted to Branch bank & offices. Haughton & Mair Architects designed the conversion. (00058:1104:C47746)
• 1991
• Business additions and alterations to ground floor and level 1. (00059:490:E23509) Sign erected. (00040:11:E682531)
• 1992
• Office building partitions. (00059:588:E26553)
• 1998
• Sign erected. (00078:1260:40599)
• 2000
• Internal alterations, ground floor. (00078:440:61621)
• 2003
• New and replacement signs. (00078:1043:99315)
• 2004
• Bank branch fit-out, ground floor. (00078:1504:121064)

• 1936
• - Turnbull & Jones, electrical engineers.
• 1976
• - Bank of New South Wales.
• 1989
• - Westpac Banking Corp.

Not assessed

The building is a very good example of the Art Deco style, with decorative elements applied to an otherwise utilitarian three storey concrete facade. The composition is dominated by a fluted element rising from the verandah through two floors to form the central feature of the stepped parapet. Panels of horizontal and vertical flutes form an interesting geometric pattern with this central feature and the windows.

Construction is reinforced concrete for all structural elements, foundations, columns and beams, walls, floors and roof. The decorative finish to the Courtenay Place facade was executed in coloured plaster, and is now painted. However, the facade is otherwise in authentic condition with the steel windows, verandah and decoration reading today exactly as they do on the original drawings.

Concrete foundations/walls, iron and concrete roofing, cement render.

The building is located on the north side of Courtenay Place in the middle of the eastern block. To the immediate west is the Edwardian Classicism of the Establishment Bar (1905), while to the east is the single-storey Zico Cafe (1955) and the Brutalist Hannah Playhouse (1974). With the exception of the Zico Cafe, the buildings are of a comparable scale, although all are quite different in age and style.

More broadly, the northern side of Courtenay Place is characterised by its division into blocks, in contrast to the continuous street wall of the southern side, the more uniform scale of the buildings, and is particularly important for its close association with the important heritage precinct of Blair and Allen Streets. There are few modern buildings evident on this side of the street and it has a high level of authenticity in the streetscape.

• 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 building is a fine example of commercial Art Deco architecture.

• 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?

  The building is part of an important collection of buildings that comprise the Courtenay Place Heritage Area. Although most of the buildings were constructed in the first half of the 20th century, there are significant differences in age and styles among some of the buildings.

• 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 makes a contribution to the character of the Courtenay Place streetscape.

• Association

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

  The building is associated with the commercial development of Courtenay Place.

  The building – more particularly its ground floor – has had just two contiguous uses since 1936.

• Association

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

  The building was designed by architects Prouse & Wilson. William Prouse was an architect of some note, particularly in his partnerships with William Gummer and John Hoggard.

  The building was built for and occupied by Turnbull & Jones, an important firm of electrical suppliers for 40 years, and has been a branch of Westpac Bank (and its predecessors) for an even longer period of time .

• Archaeological

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

  There was pre-1900 human activity on this site. Although some of the sites have been altered by rebuilding or landscaping or subdivisional change, there is archaeological value in the immediate surrounds.

• 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 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 facade is in authentic condition with the steel windows, verandah and decoration reading today as they do on the original drawings.

• Representative

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

  It is representative of the commercial buildings in the Courtenay Place Heritage Area built in the 1930s.

• Importance

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

  This building is of local importance for its contribution to the Courtenay Place Heritage Area.

Not assessed

• CT WN 340/216, Land Information New Zealand
• CTWN723/19, Land Information New Zealand
• Gatley, Julia. “Wilson, Francis Gordon – Biography”, in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Updated September 1, 1910. Accessed 14 July 2012.
• Kelly, Michael and Russell Murray, Courtenay Place Heritage Area Report. Welllington City Council: Unpublished report, prepared for Plan Change 48, 2006.
• Traue, J.E. “Turnbull, Alexander Horsburgh – Biography”, in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Updated September 1, 1910. Accessed July 14, 2012.
• Wellington City Council, Courtenay Place Heritage Area spreadsheet. Wellington City Council: Unpublished report, prepared for Plan Change 48, 2006.
• Wellington City Council, Wellington Heritage Building Inventory 2001: Non-Residential Buildings. Wellington City Council, 2001.
• Newspapers: “Courtenay Place: Subway to Reduce Danger”, Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 32, 8 February 1927.
• Newspapers: “Deaths”, Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 196, 19 August 1943.
• Newspapers: “New City Building”, Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 8, 10 January 1936.

• Inventory Report
• 1935 specifications and plans

Not available