National Bank Building

49 Courtenay Place, 51Courtenay Place

49-53 Courtenay Place, Te Aro, Wellington
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Photo: Charles Collins, 2015

Photo: WCC - Charles Collins, 2015

Extent: Cityview GIS 2012
Extent: Cityview GIS 2012
The basement was fitted out as an air raid shelter in 1943.(WCC Archives reference 00056:281:B22588)
The basement was fitted out as an air raid shelter in 1943.(WCC Archives reference 00056:281:B22588)
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  • Constructed

    1928 - 1928

  • Heritage Area

    Courtenay Place Heritage Area

  • Architect(s)

    Atkins & Mitchell / Cyril Hawthorne Mitchell

  • Builder(s)

    Fletcher Construction

  • This building was designed by C.H. Mitchell of Atkins & Mitchell and is one of a number of impressive buildings he designed in the 1920s and 30s.

    The building was purpose-built for the National Bank, who operated out of this building for 67 years. The building was later used by the ANZ Bank.

    The building is an elegant and imposing Classical building in the Chicago style.

    The façade, above verandah level, remains in original condition and it contributes to the streetscape of the Courtenay Place Heritage Area.

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  • close History

    • The former National Bank Building in Courtenay Place was designed by C.H. Mitchell of Atkins and Mitchell. The permit to erect the building was issued in March 1928 and the work undertaken by Fletcher Construction Co. for £27,982. The building was completed late in 1928.

      The National Bank was founded in 1872 and its first Wellington branch opened the following year. By the 1920s the bank was a highly profitable entity, concentrating mainly on rural, personal, and small business customers. This branch was a key part of the commercial development of both Wellington and the wider country. The construction of the Courtenay Place branch was part of a ‘building programme’ to upgrade the bank’s accommodation nationwide and came at a time when it was enjoying strong profits in a buoyant pre-Depression economy. It was a grand statement building designed to replace a smaller building that had been occupied by the National Bank on the site previously.

      The ground floor of the Courtenay Place building was in continuous use as a banking chamber, but the bank let the upper floors to a variety of small businesses. On the first floor, a succession of chiropractic firms occupied rooms in the building; Colwill & Colwill in the 1930s and 40s, Lawson & Lawson in the late 1940s and 50s and G.M. Nicholls until 1975. Also on this floor was Mabel Rice, a dressmaker, who shared the floor with the chiropractors from the 1930s to the 1950s. On the next level up, on the mezzanine floor, tenants included such diverse groups as the Wellington Symphony Orchestra, the Labour Department’s Weights and Measures Board and a masseur business. The third floor was also occupied by a real variety of tenants, including the NZ Motion Pictures Exhibitors Assn and E.M. Publishing.

      The National Bank operated from the building from the time of completion for 67 years. In 1943, at the outbreak of World War II, the bank employed contractors Love Construction to construct an air raid shelter in the basement at a cost of £748 and in accordance with the Emergency Shelter Regulations of 1942. The National Bank remained in the building until 1994 when it relocated across the road to 60 Courtenay Place.

      The building was sold to the Papageorgiou family in 2000. The building continued in use as a bank, with ANZ Bank occupying the building until recently. The building contributes significantly to the character of Courtenay Place as the façade is in original condition. Only a modern glazed verandah added in 1981 obstructs views of the ground floor and detracts from the ground floor level.

    • Modifications close
      • 1923
      • Building constructed. (00056:51:B4962)
      • 1943
      • Contractors Love Construction build and air raid shelter in the basement. (00056:281:B22588)
      • 1957
      • Alterations. (00058:13:C627)
      • 1978
      • Additions and alterations. (00058:1142:C49270)
      • 1981
      • Glazed verandah added & lower front exterior altered.
      • 1990
      • Sign (00059:418:E21159)
      • 1993
      • Apartment fit-out. (00060:73:2791)
      • 1996
      • Internal alterations. (00078:1175:25867)
      • 1999
      • Interior alterations. (00078:1178:58250)
      • 2000
      • Interior alterations. (00078:1179:63650)
      • 2003
      • Fit-out of the basement, ground floor and mezzanine. (00078:1251:110214)
      • 2005
      • Office building alterations. (00078:2213:136531)
      • 2006
      • Building alterations. (00078:1947:154890)
    • Occupation History close
      • 1930
      • National Bank Chambers: National Bank of NZ (Stones 1930 - 1945: Wises 1950-1 to 1990).
      • 1930
      • First floor: Colwill & Colwill, chiropractors (Stones 1930 - 1940); Lawson & Lawson, chiropractors (Stones 1945; Wises 1950-1). G.M. Nicholls, chiropractor (Wises 1955 - 1975). Mabel Rice, dressmaker (Stones 1930 - 1945; Wises 1950-1).
      • 1930
      • Mezzanine floor: Cambell McAllister, public accountant (Stones 1935 - 1940); Westcoast Investments (Stones 1935); Wellington Symphony Orchestra, registered office (Stones 1940); Labour Department, Weights & Measures Branch (Stones 1945; Wises 1950-1 to 1961-2); Teachers' Refresher Course Comm. (Wises 1967-8); Australasian Construction Co. Ltd. (Wises 1971-2 to 1975). Second floor: Mr & Mrs William Barke, masseurs (Stones 1930 - 1945; Wises 1950-1 to 1967-8).
      • 1930
      • Third floor: NZ Motion Pictures Exhibitors Assn. NZ Motion Pictures Exhibitors Assn. (Stones 1930 - 1945; Wises 1950-1 to 1961-2 & 1985; Turnbull & Jones Ltd. (Wises 1971-2; Mutual Film Insurance Board (Stones 1945; Wises 1961-2. Olympic Trading Co. Ltd. (Wises 1975 - 1980. R E M Publishing (Wises 1980 - 1990.)
  • close Architectural Information
    • Building Classification(s) close

      Not assessed

    • Architecture close

      The National Bank is a tall five-storey concrete building with a Chicago-esque base-shaft-capital composition trimmed out in simplified neo-Classical detail above the street level and with an impressive Doric temple-like façade at street level, featuring fluted Doric columns and some interesting ironwork. This building is disfigured by a modern glass verandah.

      Today there are no existing original plans for the building.

    • Materials close

      Steel structure encased in concrete

      Concrete walls and floors

      A flat concrete roof with an asphalt finish

      Steel windows

    • Setting close

      The National Bank Building is located near the western end of the block of buildings on the south side of Courtenay Place, bounded by Cambridge Terrace and Tory Street. Most of the buildings in this block are two-storeyed, with the notable exception of the Athenic Building adjacent, and the National Bank building itself. The general area itself is low in scale, with only the Courtenay Chambers, further east and seven storeys high, of any significant size. The National Bank Building is one of the more prominent features of the Courtenay Place Heritage Area, which encompasses the concentration of heritage buildings in the eastern half of Courtenay Place.

  • close Cultural Value

    This building was designed by C.H. Mitchell of Atkins & Mitchell and is one of a number of impressive buildings he designed in the 1920s and 30s.

    The building was purpose-built for the National Bank, who operated out of this building for 67 years. The building was later used by the ANZ Bank.

    The building is an elegant and imposing Classical building in the Chicago style.

    The façade, above verandah level, remains in original condition and it contributes to the streetscape of the Courtenay Place Heritage Area.

    • Aesthetic Value close

      • 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 an elegant and imposing Classical building in the Chicago style.

      • 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 the Courtenay Place Heritage Area, an area with a significant collection of heritage buildings of various styles and scales.

      • 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?

        The building makes a significant contribution to the character of Courtenay Place.

    • Historic Value close

      • Association

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

        The building is part of the commercial development and banking history of inner-city Wellington.

      • Association

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

        The building was designed by Wellington architectural firm Atkins & Mitchell.

        The building is associated with the National Bank, who operated out of this building for 67 years. The usage of the building for banking later continued when the ANZ Bank took over the premises in 2004.

    • Scientific Value close

      • 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.

    • Social Value close

      • 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.

    • Level of Cultural Heritage Significance close

      • 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 a high level of authenticity of external design, materials and craftsmanship.

      • Representative

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

        It is representative of New Zealand banks built in the 1920s – particularly those of the National Bank.

      • 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.

    • Local / Regional / National / International Importance close

      Not assessed

  • close Site Detail

    • District Plan Number

      16/ 63/8 (front facade above ground level, the entrance lobby, the banking chamber, the stair well at the rear of the banking chamber and the main stair well)

    • Legal Description

      Lot 1 DP6805 & Pt Sec 277 T.O.W.

    • Heritage New Zealand Listed

      Not listed

    • Archaeological Site

      Central City NZAA R27/270

    • Current Uses

      unknown

    • Former Uses

      unknown

    • Has building been funded

      No

    • Funding Amount

      Not applicable

    • Earthquake Prone Status

      124 Notice

  • close Additional Information
    • Sources close
      • Kelly, Michael and Russell Murray, Courtenay Place Heritage Area Report. Wellington City Council: Unpublished report, prepared for Plan Change 48, 2006.
      • “The National Bank”, Accessed: September 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 1995. Wellington City Council, 1995.
      • Wellington City Council, Wellington Heritage Building Inventory 2001: Non-Residential Buildings. Wellington City Council, 2001.
      • Newspapers: ‘Facts For Investors’, Auckland Star, 20 August 1928, p.4
      • Archives: “49-53 Courtenay Place, building”, March 23, 1928, 00056:51:B4962, Wellington City Archives.
      • Archives: “49-53 Courtenay Place, air raid shelter”, February 10, 1943, 00056:281:B22588, Wellington City Archives.
      • Archives: “49-53 Courtenay Place, alterations”, February 14, 1957, 00058:13:C627, Wellington City Archives.
      • Archives: “49-51 Courtenay Place, sign”, 1990, 00059:418:E21159, Wellington City Archives.
      • Archives: “49 Courtenay Place, fitout appartment”, October 29, 1993, 00060:73:2791, Wellington City Archives.
      • Archives: “49 Courtenay Place, interior alterations”, 2000, 00078:1179:63650, Wellington City Archives.
      • Archives: “49-53 Courtenay Place, office building alterations, level 1”, 2005, 00078:2213:136531, Wellington City Archives.
      • Archives: “49 Courtenay Place, office building alterations”, 2006, 00078:1947:154890, Wellington City Archives.
    • Technical Documentation close
    • Footnotes close

      Not available

Last updated: 4/20/2017 3:51:35 AM