Young’s Chemical Company Warehouses

• 1906
• Erect warehouse 00053:125:6986
• 1923
• Warehouses and offices (8 Egmont Street) 00055:18:A1731
• 1945 - 1945
• Reinstate buildings 00056:302:B23907
• 1965 - 1965
• Building alterations 00058:422:C18034
• 1970 - 1970
• Internal store 00058:706:C32139
• 1992 - 1992
• Seismic strengthening and Conversion to apartments 00059:557:E25636
• 1993 - 1993
• Convert dwelling to flats 00059:612:E27139

• 1921
• Young Chemical Company
• 1955
• Mackintosh Caley Phoenix Limited
• 1966
• Various manufacturing firms
• c.1980
• Various arts and crafts studios
• 1999
• Apartments

Not assessed

8-10 & 20 Egmont Street are a row of brick warehouses that have been converted from industrial to residential use.

The 1906 building at 10 Egmont Street is a three storey brick building with rows of timber sash windows set into a load-bearing masonry wall. The carefully proportioned Egmont Street elevation is well articulated and is particularly notable for the deeply recessed windows; the detail of the dentilated brick string courses that run between ground, first and second floor windows; the brick cornice that also features a brick dentil detail; and the brick quoins that frame the street elevation. The roof is concealed by a rendered parapet. The roof structure is formed from large timber trusses and is unusual in that it is a mono-pitch, rather than a series of short spans.

The 1921 building at 20 Egmont Street and the 1923 building at 8 Egmont Street are a pair of four storey industrial buildings with façades that are constructed from load bearing brick masonry on concrete foundations and piles. The design follows a typical warehouse pattern of plain brick piers, moulded string courses and cornices, comparatively large areas of fenestration framed in steel joinery and with simplified ornamentation and entablature.

Load bearing brick masonry.

Concrete foundations and piles.

The former Young’s Chemical Company warehouse buildings are located on the western side of Egmont Street, a narrow thoroughfare between Ghuznee and Manners Street. While the original city plan had a number of narrow streets like Egmont, many have disappeared and today it has rarity value for its continued existence.

The former warehouses contribute an almost continuous brick façade along the western edge of Egmont Street. To the south of 20 Egmont Street is a two storey brick building, while to the north of 8 Egmont Street is a car parking lot. The street is narrow and it is difficult to view or photograph the buildings in their entirety. The opposing buildings are modern, multi storey structures, one of which is the Soho apartment complex.

The height of the former warehouses emphasises the narrowness of this rare surviving city byway, and provide a good illustration of the early commercial and light-industrial character of this part of the city. The group remains fairly authentic in outward appearance, and together with and in the context of the street has very high townscape value.

• 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?

  This group of three buildings on Egmont Street are a good representative example of high-quality early 20th century brick-warehouse architecture. They have architectural value for their well proportioned facades, and for their use of brick detailing and rendered ornamentation that creates a well considered decorative scheme on otherwise utilitarian buildings.

• 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 group of three buildings are similar in age, style, materials and use, and have high group value for this reason. 

• 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 buildings have townscape value for their contribution to the character of Egmont Street, one of the most atmospheric of Wellington’s network of old lanes. This character is enhanced by the almost continuous brick façade created by the three buildings to the western street edge.

• Association

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

  The buildings are historically associated with Young’s Chemical Company, a pharmaceutical import firm, which was originally known as T & W Young Limited, a firm which imported and brewed beverages.

• 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 sub-divisional change, there is archaeological value in the immediate surrounds. 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?

  The buildings have had few intrusive modern alterations or additions over the past 90 years and make a strong contribution to the sense of place and continuity of Egmont Street

• 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 authenticity as it has retained a significant amount of original fabric.

• Importance

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

  Because the building is part of a unique collection of heritage buildings it is important on a local level.

Not assessed

• Cyclopedia Co. Ltd. ‘Crabtree, William and Sons.’ In The Cyclopedia of New Zealand: Wellington Provincial District. Wellington: The Cyclopedia Company Limited, 1897. Accessed 3 October 2012.
• Stones Street Directory. 1924-1928.
• Wellington City Council. ‘20 Egmont Street.’ Wellington Heritage Building Inventory 1995: Non-Residential Buildings. Wellington City Council, 1995. E.
• Wellington City Council. ‘Wellington Architects.’ Wellington Heritage Building Inventory 2001: Non-Residential Buildings. Wellington City Council, 2001. Appendix III.
• Te Aro Park and Dixon Street, Wellington. Pascoe, John Dobree. 1908-1972: Photographic albums, prints and negatives. Ref: 1/4-001967-F.
• Archives: ‘Little Taranaki Street (8-10 Egmont Street), erect workshop.’ 1906. 00053:125:6986.

• Inventory Report

Not available