Commercial Building

• 1920
• First permit issued
• 1922
• Building constructed (00053:212:11720)
• 1946
• Alterations (00056:315:B24714)
• 1950
• Retaining wall (00056:379:B29154)
• 1962
• New shop front (00058:220:C9963)
• 1964
• Boiler room (00058:336:C14423)
• 1967
• Reinstate building after fire damage, new shop front (00058:526:C25436)
• 1978
• Additions and alterations (00058:1182:C50800)

• 1925 - 1940
• James McCree, pie shop proprietor (Stones 1925, 1930, 1935, 1940)
• 1945 - 1951
• London Pie Shop (proprietor James Monro) (Stones 1945, Wises 1950-51)
• 1955 - 1955
• Zelandia Confectionery Company (Wises 1955
• 1955
• Numerous tenants from this time, including drycleaners, office supplies, secretarial service, seminar company.
• 1985 - 1990
• Called Promotus House in Wises 1985 & 1990.
• 1991
• Arctech Studios (1991 HPT building name)
• c.2008 - c.2011
• Martin Taylor, Barrister (upstairs)
• 2003
• Flowers Manuela Flowers Manuela (ground floor shop) (since 2003 - potentially earlier)
• c.2011
• Nesus & Associates Ltd

Not assessed

This two-storey 1922 commercial building is executed in a moderately pared-back Classical style. It has a distinctive assembly of three round-headed windows in the centre of the upper façade, with stringing around the lower section of this hinting at the original detail of the lower façade, which was modernised in 1967.

The original plans specify:

Reinforced concrete foundations, floors, walls and stairs.

Totara: ground floor joists, sleepers, plates, door frames and doors ()

Rimu: ceiling joists, roof timbers, other framing

Matai: floor boards

Red pine: skirting architraves and other joinery

The building sits among modern masonry buildings of varying scales and architecture on Cuba Street between Vivian Street and Abel Smith Street.

The building is somewhat dwarfed to the immediate north by Booth House (1989), a modern five-storey building that detracts from the quality of the streetscape with its overbearing scale, set-back arcade from the street edge and over-scaled detailing.

To the south of no. 216 is the Wellington Trawlers complex, which includes a small modern single-storey street-front shop and a parking area and several other unremarkable modern commercial buildings set back from the street front. This creates a large and unsightly gap in the street wall on the south side of no. 216.

More widely, the predominant building uses are commercial and residential, a mix characteristic of Cuba Street since the early days. Although the disposition of these uses has significantly changed over the years, they are expressed in a diverse range of building types and eras.

• 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?

  216 Cuba Street is a good representative example of a small two storey shop/residence. The building is one of the southern-most masonry shop/residences constructed on Cuba Street, and is notable for its well proportioned façade and restrained palette of Classical ornamentation.

• 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 historic commercial buildings on Cuba Street which contribute to the Cuba Street Heritage Area.

• 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 scale, materials and style of this building contribute to the townscape of Cuba Street.

• Association

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

  The building has an association with the development and changes to the retail trade in Cuba Street.

• Association

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

  This building has historic value for its association with the designers, notable Wellington architects William Gray Young and Stanley W Fearn.

• Archaeological

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

  The building is located in the Central City archaeological site, reference NZAA R27/270.

• 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 historic commercial buildings on Cuba Street which contribute to the sense of place and continuity of 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.

• 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, as it contributes to the Cuba Street Heritage Area.

Not assessed

• Wellington City Council. Cuba Street Heritage Area spreadsheet (block 5). Wellington City Council: Unpublished report, prepared for Plan Change 48, 2006.
• Fowler, Michael, “Young, William Gray – Biography”, from the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated January 17, 2012,
• Historic Places Trust. “Stanley Fearn.” Accessed: August 2012.
• Kelly, Michael, and Russell Murray, Cuba Street Heritage Area Report (Wellington City Council: Unpublished report, prepared for Plan Change 48, 2006).
• CT280/16, Land Information New Zealand
• Newspapers: Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 50, 28 August 1922, Page 3
• Newspapers: Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 78, 2 April 1923, Page 1
• Newspapers: Evening Post, Issue 103, 2 May 1936, Page 2

• Inventory Report
• 1920 specifications and plans

Not available