Hamilton Chambers (Former)

199 Lambton Quay

199-201 Lambton Quay, Wellington, Wellington
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  • Constructed

    1928

  • Builder(s)

    Fletcher Construction Company

  • The building was removed from the schedule in the Wellington City 2024 District Plan.

    The Hamilton Chambers façade is a remnant of a fine inter-war Chicago-style building that was influenced both by Art Deco and the Georgian-revival. The aesthetic value of the facades has been somewhat diminished by its integration into the much larger c.2002 HSBC Tower.

    The façade contributes to the character of the central section of Lambton Quay, and thus has some townscape value.

    Hamilton Chambers is associated with Fletcher Construction, which managed the design and construction of the building.

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  • close History
    • The land occupied by Hamilton Chambers was reclaimed from Wellington Harbour in 1866-67 by the Wellington Provincial Council and became the property of the Wellington City Council, as it still is. The first lessee of the land was builder James Lockie. He is the only listed lessee of the section until the Hamilton Chambers development, although two buildings were erected on the section (40 and 42 Lambton Quay) after 1873.

      By the 1920s, occupancy of these buildings had dwindled. In 1927 the Wellington City Council negotiated a lease for section 63a with Thomson and East Ltd., auctioneers and land and real estate agents. The terms of the lease required the removal of all existing buildings on the site and their replacement with a building at least three storeys high and of £24,000 value.

      Thomson and East joined forces with Andrew Fletcher, a director of Fletcher Construction, which had become very active in the Wellington construction industry, to form a small property development company - Mercer Buildings Ltd.

      Hamilton Chambers was designed for Mercer Buildings Ltd by F.D. Stewart, Fletcher Construction’s house architect. Construction work was officially completed on 4 April 1930. The building was built with eight storeys comprising two shops on the ground floor, six floors of offices, and an 8th floor with lift machinery and toilets. A light well was situated on the south side. The structure was reinforced concrete frame - probably on pad foundations. Architect Stewart took great care with the placement of the reinforcing in the Hamilton Chambers design, altering the original plans at least once. One floor received unusual treatment. The partitions and interior walls of the 7th (top) floor were almost completely lined with brick, a showroom for the Amalgamated Brick and Tile Co; a part Fletcher subsidiary. In the 1930s their offices were used for the meetings of the Association of Brick and Concrete Manufacturers.

      Mercer Buildings Ltd was voluntarily wound up in 1967, and in 1969 the lease of Hamilton Chambers and section 63a, (now Lot 2 of DP 10808), was transferred to next-door neighbours, the Australasian Temperance and General Mutual Life Assurance Society. The building was subsequently let to a number of different tenants - most notably the Department of Industry and Commerce from 1931-1954 and the Wellington Women’s Club, founded in 1924.

      In 2002 Hamilton Chambers was substantially demolished, and now only the façade remains. The façade has since been incorporated into the podium of the much larger HSBC tower complex. The redevelopment and façade retention scheme have somewhat diminished the building’s heritage value.

    • Modifications close
      • 1928
      • : Construction
      • 2002
      • : Demolition
      • unknown
      • Plans over page from WCC Archive File 00056:73:B6996
      • unknown
      • Plans over page from WCC Archive File 00056:73:B6996
    • Occupation History close
      • unknown
      • Not fully assessed
      • unknown
      • Department of Industry and Commerce
      • unknown
      • CurrentNA
  • close Architectural Information
    • Building Classification(s) close

      Not assessed

    • Architecture close

      Hamilton Chambers façade has been incorporated into a large retail/commercial development known as the HSBC Tower. It is a remnant of a 1928 eight-storey office building commercial building.

      The building façade is a transitional interwar design that is typical of a ‘Chicago’ style building - in that there is a distinct ‘base’, ‘tower’ and ‘capital’. The overall design is a pleasant fusion of Georgian Revival proportions with Art Deco stylised decorative elements. The ground and first floor is clad in granite, the shop-fronts are a mish-mash of modern commercial plate glass windows and advertising signage, but the modern verandah is a pleasant new insertion that serves to integrate the old façade into the podium of the new tower building. The façade between the 2nd and 7th floors is faced in a combination of cement plaster and brick. Interest is provided by the decorative contrast between the piers, brick spandrels and the brick bays on either side. Decorative plaster ornamentation on the spandrels and piers divided the façade between the 6th and 7th floors.

      The new opaque glass makes the windows curiously blank and lifeless and this contributes to the sense that this façade is only a thin ‘applied-layer’ to the new commercial development behind.

    • Materials close

      Not assessed

    • Setting close

      The Hamilton Chambers façade is located on the eastern side of Lambton Quay, roughly one-third of the street’s total length from the southern end. Heritage items close by include the adjacent T&G/Harcourts Building, the Harbour City Centre, and across Lambton Quay, the Cable Car. The façade partially fronts the HSBC Tower. The tower’s 25 floor/94m height dwarfs the Chambers’ eight floor façade.

  • close Cultural Value

    The Hamilton Chambers façade is a remnant of a fine inter-war Chicago-style building that was influenced both by Art Deco and the Georgian-revival. The aesthetic value of the facades has been somewhat diminished by its integration into the much larger c.2002 HSBC Tower.

    The façade contributes to the character of the central section of Lambton Quay, and thus has some townscape value.

    Hamilton Chambers is associated with Fletcher Construction, which managed the design and construction of the building.

    • 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 Hamilton Chambers façade is a remnant of a fine inter-war Chicago-style building that was influenced both by Art Deco and the Georgian-revival. The aesthetic value of the facades has been somewhat diminished by its integration into the much larger c.2002 HSBC Tower.

      • 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 façade contributes to the character of the central section of Lambton Quay, and thus has some townscape value.

    • Historic Value close
      • Association

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

        Hamilton Chambers is associated with Fletcher Construction, which managed the design and construction of the building.

    • Scientific Value close
      • 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. Site was disturbed in c.2002 for HSBC Tower construction.

    • Social Value close
      • IdentitySenseOfPlaceContinuity

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

        The Hamilton Chambers façade makes a minor contribution to a sense of place, as a reminder of Lambton Quay’s long-standing commercial importance to Wellington.

    • Level of Cultural Heritage Significance close

      Not assessed

    • Local / Regional / National / International Importance close

      Not assessed

  • close Site Detail
    • District Plan Number

      17/ 184

    • Legal Description

      Lot 2 DP 10808

    • Heritage New Zealand Listed

      2/Historic Place 4962

    • Archaeological Site

      None

    • Current Uses

      unknown

    • Former Uses

      unknown

    • Has building been funded

      No

    • Funding Amount

      Not applicable

    • Earthquake Prone Status

      Outside Earthquake Prone Policy

  • close Additional Information
    • Sources close
      • Southland Times, 2 December 1903
      • Evening Post, 18 March 1882, 12 December 1922, 1 June 1928, 11 July 1928, 24 February 1949
      • Dominion, 2 June 1928
      • The Argus, 7 April 1942
      • Wanganui Herald, 8 April 1907
      • CT WN 13/167, WN 11/158, Land Information New Zealand
      • Wises Street Directories, 1928-2000
      • ‘A Century of Service’, from ‘T & G, 100 years’, centenary brochure, 1976
      • Beaglehole, Diana. ‘Wanganui: Cultural Life: Architects’, Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 27 November 2007
    • Technical Documentation close
    • Footnotes close

      Not available

Last updated: 4/29/2025 2:46:45 AM