Kelburn Chambers

• 1900
• Building permit/consent issued – construction begins (00053:59:3730)
• 1903
• Addition – Glass Verandah designed by J. S. Swan (00053:96:5448)
• unknown
• Addition to building (00053:99:5625)
• 1906
• New ticket office and additions to building – addition to rear of Stoneham’s Building (00053:128:7160)
• unknown
• Additions and alterations including fruit stall and alterations to ticket box (00053:132:7415)
• 1908
• Additions to building – This is for a third storey addition at the rear of the Stoneham’s building (00053:142:7923)
• 1950
• Addition – Substation- includes additions to the Cable Car Terminal off Lambton Quay (00056:388:B29887)
• 1957
• Alterations to Cable Car Terminal (00058:26:C1327)
• 1981
• Alterations to Lambton Quay Cable Car Terminal (00058:1314:C55412)
• 1982
• Demolition – Demolish Stoneham Building as part of Phoenix Centre development $25, 000 (00058:0:C58400)
• 1983
• Addition – Mezzanine floor (00058:0:C61714)
• unknown
• Shop fittings, shop g07 $1,500 (00058:0:C62549)
• unknown
• Addition – Mezzanine floor (00058:0:C63112)
• unknown
• Shop fittings – Phoenix Centre $5,000 (00058:0:C63170)
• unknown
• Fitting out restaurant in Phoenix centre $41,080 (00058:0:C63948)
• 1984
• Fit out of single tavern bar $135,000 (00058:0:C65279)
• 1986
• Office Block alterations $121,256 (00059:0:D2989)
• 1991
• Additions and alterations to office building (00059:420:E21230)
• unknown
• Cancelled application (00059:478:E23079)
• unknown
• Business additions and alterations $10,000 (00059:504:E23923)
• unknown
• Business alterations and additions $32,000 (00059:512:E24226)
• 1992
• Business alterations and additions $29,500 (00059:516:E24343)
• unknown
• Business alterations and additions $101,000 (00059:517:E24361)
• 1993
• Plumbing alterations (00060:17:687)
• 1999
• Addition/alteration – fit-out of hair salon $46,000 (00078:317:57304)
• unknown
• Addition – New balconies $40,000 (00078:346:52605)
• 2001
• Commercial retail fit-out $60,000 (00078:885:76051)
• 2002
• Alterations to Shop 18 – Suspended ceiling and installation of under bench hot water cylinder and sink unit $1,000 (00078:922:86904)
• 2005
• Office fit-out (00078:1640:130358)
• 2009
• Alterations – Minor works: plumbing – Cable Car Centre – Shop 11, Samson and Delilah Hair Salon. Replace instantaneous HW units with 180 Litre HWC $2,000 (00078:2866:171573)

• unknown
• Not assessed

Not assessed

This three-storey building has been skilfully designed in the Edwardian commercial classical style to fit onto a narrow inner-city site. The building is one room wide and features a finely-detailed Venetian window with embossed spandrels on the second floor. The first-floor windows keep the same proportions but are square-headed and have small fanlights. The architect has also used the classical device of superimposed orders - the second floor has Corinthian pilasters, the first floor Ionic pilasters. The building is capped by a small Mansard roof which sits atop a traditional entablature and shallow parapet. Kelburn Chambers has been successfully refurbished and adds a characteristic Edwardian classical note to the local townscape, despite the indignity of a grossly over scaled balcony terrace/verandah.

The construction was load-bearing brick masonry (English & Colonial bond) on concrete piles and foundations; cast iron columns and steel girders provided internal support and the roof-truss system was timber.

Despite the small stature of this building, it contributes greatly to the overall setting of Lambton Quay. It marks the Lambton Quay terminal of the Cable car system on the street. The street facing façade has prominence of decoration and form, particularly the mansard roof, which stands apart from nearby buildings.

• 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?

  Kelburn Chambers is an Edwardian commercial Classical style building that has been skilfully designed to fit onto a narrow inner-city site. The building is notable for its elegant proportions, and for the careful use of Classical decoration on its 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?

  The building has some group value for its historic association with the Cable Car, particularly the Cable Car Route Heritage Area (WCC Heritage Area ref 08), and the Cable Car Winding House (WCC ref 17/30).

• 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 is a local landmark as one of a very few surviving small Edwardian Classical commercial buildings on Lambton Quay. It neatly marks the Lambton Quay terminus of the Cable Car, a landmark of transport engineering that is its contemporary.

• Association

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

  The Kelburn Cable Car was a major milestone in the development of New Zealand transportation and is one of New Zealand’s most enduring engineering achievements.

• Association

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

  This building has historic value as it is associated with the Kelburn and Karori Tramway Company and the development of Kelburn as a suburb.

• Archaeological

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

  This building is included in the Central City NZAA R27/270 archaeological area.

• 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 contributes to a sense of continuity in the central business area due to its long association with the Wellington Cable Car.

• 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?

  This building has been modified at ground level quite extensively, meaning that this aspect of the building has lost some of its authenticity and integrity. The first floor, with the exception of glass terrace/verandah, has been relatively unmodified, meaning that it retains a great amount of its authenticity. The building retains authenticity of design, craftsmanship, materials and functions.

• Rare

  Is the item rare, unique, unusual, seminal, influential, or outstanding?

  This building is a now rare example of the many Edwardian commercial buildings that were once common on Lambton Quay.

• Representative

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

  This building is a good example of a small scale Edwardian building. It is a reminder of the types of Victorian and Edwardian Classical commercial buildings that once lined Wellington’s premier commercial street -Lambton Quay.

• Importance

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

  This building is important at a local level, due to the contribution that it makes to the Lambton Quay streetscape and its association with the Wellington Cable Car.

Not assessed

• Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. Cable Car Lane, Lambton Quay, Wellington. Negatives of the Evening Post newspaper. Ref: EP/1956/1199-F.Accessed February 2013
• Historic Places Trust, “Fredrick de Jersey Clere”, Professional Biographies, accessed February 2013,
• “280 – 284 Lambton Quay,” Wellington Heritage Building Inventory 1999: Non-Residential Buildings. (Wellington City Council, 1999), LAMB 12
• Wellington City Archive. 00053-59-3730.

• Inventory Report
• 1900 drawings and specifications
• 1903 and 1979 drawings

Not available