A gateway pier at Parnell

On Parnell Road, at the former site of St Mary's Anglican Church, at least some of the church's history on the original site is preserved: a single surviving gate pier, with a heritage plaque on it.

The original St Mary's looked like this, and then this, and then like this.

Initially there was a wooden church on the old site, dating from 1860 and designed by Frederick Thatcher. But, it was inadequate in size, as St Mary's was the only Anglican church in Parnell, which was a focus of diocesan activities right from the days of Bishop Selwyn. It was effectively the pro-cathedral  church for the Anglican Diocese. Christchurch architect Benjamin Woolfield Mountfort was appointed in February 1885 to come up with a design for the replacement church, built by W Rosser and consecrated in September 1888. The old church was still used until its demolition in 1898 to make way for “four complete new bays to the nave, with a vestry for the clergy, baptistery, north and south porches, on the same level as the present nave, and a lower vestry and verger’s store, in the basement, which extends partly under the west end of the church”according to the NZ Herald, 11 January 1898. Mountfort was again the architect, but he died before the completion of the work.

Today, St Mary's looks like this, across the road from the old site, now part of the Holy Trinity Cathedral complex:

Discussions on proposals to move St Mary's across Parnell Road to the always-intended cathedral site began in earnest from 1938. The Bishop at the time in 1961 had said that it wouldn't be moved, that the church would go ahead with plans to build a cathedral on the intended site anyway. Holy Trinity was dedicated in 1973, and from that point St Mary's ceased to be the Cathedral Church. But, the cathedral complex remained still unfinished by 1980; moves began again to arrange to shift St Mary's. Two years of debate ensued, especially involving the local community, and many were dismayed by the prospect of the shift. However, in 1982, it took place. Today, St Mary's serves as a ladies' chapel.

There's an image at the Auckland Library's site of the former interior, and here is today's (via Wikipedia).

Flowers in Silverdale

My friends Bill and Barbara Ellis sent through these photos of a lovely mural (2010) on the side of a toilet block in Silverdale. School children painted flowers on tiles, which have been fixed to the wall, with leaves and stems painted on the wall itself. A beautiful idea.

Myers Park

One of my favourite spots in Auckland is Myers Park. If you walk through St Kevin's Arcade in Karangahape Road (site of St Kevens, the home of the Nathan family in the 19th century), down sets of wide stairs which still give me pause (I'm sure each step slopes downward a little), you will therefore start from the top and be able to see wonderful views of the paths, green and public art in the park.

Much of the land was donated to Auckland City Council by Sir Arthur Mielziner Myers (1868-1926), with the rest bought up and taken over by the Council from private landowners. It was a slum area; from the 1880s, intensive and totally unplanned residential development in the valley of the Horotiu Stream (Ligar Creek) gave the city fathers much cause for concern. Particularly when bubonic plaque outbreaks seemed imminent.

So, from 1914 the park was cleared, and a design by Thomas Pearson, Parks Superintendent for the City, was put into effect. The park opened 28 January 1915.

The park which has been donated to the city by Mr A M Myers, MP, was auspiciously opened this afternoon in delightful weather and in the presence of a large gathering of citizens. Among those present were representatives of the State, the Legislature, the City Council, the Harbour Board, the Board of Agriculture, the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, and various other local bodies. The proceedings were marked by sustained cordiality and occasional enthusiasm. The park comprises about 8½ acres behind the Town Hall, which was previously slum area. This has been transformed into a park and playground for children. Mr. Myers donated the £9000 necessary for the work and in addition is giving the funds for the erection of a free kindergarten and school for backward children to cost another £4000.

Evening Post 29 January 1915

The statue of Moses is the first thing you see in the park from the K'Road entrance.

Milne & Choyce imported this copy of Michaelangelo's statue to New Zealand for general display. In 1971, the business donated it to Auckland City Council, on the occasion of the city's centenary. According to the K'Road Heritage site, this statue was said to have been carved from marble quarried from the same spot where the real statue's marble came from.

The early 16th century original, from Wikipedia.

As mentioned in the Evening Post report above, Sir Arthur Myers donated money to establish both a kindergarten here and a "school for backward children".According to the Council's interpretive signage, the building was designed by Benjamin Chilwell and Cyril Trevithick, influenced by both the English Arts and Crafts movement, and California bungalows.

"On the ground floor was a large 'circle' room which opened to three classrooms and other facilities.Wide verandahs ran around two sides on both levels, while folding doors provided for open-air classrooms. The use of the relatively new structural steel beams gave the interior an uncluttered look, and corners were curved for hygenic reasons. There were also 65 small flower-beds -- one for each child -- as part of the original kindergarten philosophy, to encourage spiritual and social development."

It was officially opened 15 November 1916. The Auckland Kindergarten Association appointed Mrss Fendall as the first in charge of the new school. Under her was an assistant teacher and three student teachers. (Evening Post & Colonist 19 October 1916)

According to the signage: "Arther Myers intended it as a Christmas present to the children of Auckland, and his family also donated a large box of toys for the first intake. By 1923 the kindergarten had 40 pupils. Milk and biscuits were served every morning, and the children were required to do their own washing up."

The school served as a training centre for kindergarten teachers until 1958, a school for deaf children, and offices for the Girl Guides Association. It operated as a kindergarten right through to 2000; today, it serves as the head office for the Auckland Kindergarten Association.

With all those associations, is the building registered with NZ Historic Places Trust? Yes, as Category II.

View of one of the sweeping stairway accesses out of the park.

And now -- old loos. Back in August last year I photographed this one at Ponsonby's Western Park.

Just about the only thing it seems to be good for these days, sadly, is sport grey anti-graffiti paint and one of Auckland City's heritage plaques, this one just for the park in general, not the poor old loo (that's just about the only thing the anti-graffiti team won't cover with their grey on a paint-out -- but as you can see, the brush strokes come close ...)

... and here's the rather beautiful, but rubbish-strewn locked interior.

Yesterday, in Myers Park, I found another forgotten rest stop.

It seems to be under seige from recent landscaping decisions in the park, seemingly set to be swamped and buried in time. The palms around it appear to be of fairly recent origin.

Can't be sure if this has been subject to the anti-graffiti paintbrushes or not -- but it is a pity the lower brick has been painted over.

On the grubby tiles inside the locked gate, a message to the world from someone armed with a permanent marker.

It was certainly, in its heyday, a loo with a view.  But Myers Park has a reputation today, nearly a hundred years from the slum clearances, of attracting society's detritus and debris at night.  Perhaps this corner of the park attracted too much trouble. Perhaps that's why no one wants to mention the old loos in our green spaces, even though they were an integral part of layouts and architectural developments here.

A lady, a bit worse the wear for life and all it does, came up to me and asked me what I was doing. She was friendly enough, as were her companions occupying a nearby seat under the trees. When I told her that I like to photograph old things, even forgotten loos, she smiled, and said,that was good -- because such things might go in time, and photos would be all we had left. Then she smiled, wished me a good day, and went on with her afternoon.

The council hasn't swept the paths in front of the loo clear of those same leaves about to engulf it for some time, but cracks in walls have been seen to. In this one, Peter Chapple of Waiheke has left his mark on the park.

The last thing of note in the park, is this -- a gift from the city of Guangzhou in China to Auckland, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Sister City relationship between Guangzhou and Auckland in November 1999.

It is called, officially on the plaque, the "Five Rams Sculpture."

This goat, knows that isn't exactly correct ...

... because she is definitely a nanny.

The K'Road heritage web page quite wisely just sticks to calling this five goats, symbolic of an old story from China about goats bringing fertility to a bleak valley. Update, 24 January 2011: Guangzhou, amongst it's nicknames, is known as the Five Goats City, according to Wiki. Perhaps, if someone has a bit of spare cash in the budget, the plaque might be amended?

In terms of that, though, I reckon Myers Park was over any bleak period long before the granite goats got here. I'm still opposed to anyone's ideas to move the Khartoum Place Suffrage Mural here, though. Myers Park is just nice enough now, thank you.

Two domes in Beresford Square

Just off Pitt Street and close to Karangahape Road, on the edge of Freeman's Bay, two domes serve as landmarks for passing traffic and pedestrians. I've often wondered about them.

They feature here in a mid 1920s photo by William Archer Price (image from Wiki Commons). The three distinctive buildings are, from left: men's quarters extension to first Pitt Street fire station (1912), the Auckland Gas Company showrooms building (1923-1924), and the rest of the first Pitt Street fire station (1902). Of the three, only the 1902 building has been altered markedly. Another view can be seen at the Auckland Library's site. You can see its current appearance here. It is, apparently along with the Beresford Square building, registered by NZ Historic Places Trust as Category I. Not the Gas Company building, though. One thing I notice with the NZHPT registration entry is that they keep referring to a date as 1912 for construction, and only have an image the Beresford building, not the Pitt Street Building. I checked with Council Archives  yesterday-- according to the valuation streets for Pitt Street, and apparently the fire brigade's own records, the Pitt Street building was erected 1902, at a cost of £9583 (pricey, but there would have been more than one building on the site, perhaps.) The men's quarters at Beresford Street cost £5528 in 1912.

The Auckland Gas Company in 1923 were fighting to keep their market share, no longer a monopoly as an energy supplier with the introduction of electricity to the city. The formation of the Auckland Electric Power Board in 1922 may have been the incentive to have their showrooms here on the corner of Pitt Street and what was then Beresford Street -- close to K'Road, and major public transport routes. I'm still trying to see if I can find out the original architect for this building. So far, scans of the plans on aperture cards at Auckland Council archives show a name "John Anderson [illegible], Ferry Buildings, 24/11/1923". I'll work on it and put up an update when I have further information.

According to the Karangahape Road Heritage Walks booklet (.pdf online), this was called Wembley Buildings. "It is said that the Auckland Gas Company refused to have electricity in this building which, if true, must have made it one of the last buildings in New Zealand ever fitted with gas lighting."

Number One, Beresford Square, the 1912 extension to the Pitt Street fire station. According to this site, it was designed by architects Goldsbro' and Wade. Quite possibly (although I'd love to see the documentation): another credited to that partnership is the Marine Workshops Building in Quay Street, and the Ponsonby Fire Station.

In November 1944 the total fire station site, fronting both Beresford Street and Pitt Street, was sold then gifted, via Sir Frank Mappin to the Order of St John, and became the Auckland central ambulance station. According to the late Graeme Hunt in his book First to Care, 125 Years of the Order of St John in New Zealand (2010), Mappin was a serving brother and later knight of the order. The ambulance station opened in 1945, and from 1977 was home to the National Ambulance Officers' Training School, funded by a Telethon held two years earlier. The school operated from 1978. A new ambulance station was built further down Pitt Street in 1995, and the old buildings had new uses. The Pitt Street building is now the base for a flower merchant, and the Beresford Street side professional offices.

Back to the corner. This image (another by William Archer Price and likely taken at the same time as the other period shot above) shows one of the early bus services to Avondale and Blockhouse Bay in the 1920s. I'm not sure which one yet. Interestingly, this corner remained as a bus stop right through to 1964, as shown by this detail below of an image from Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Library (used here with kind permission).

Not for much longer beyond the date of this photo, though.

 

Today, the motorway scythes across Beresford Street, blocking the Pitt Street end from Freeman's Bay. Access today is via Pitt, Day and Hopetoun Streets. In 2002, according to the library's streets database, the eastern-most end off Pitt was remained Beresford Square (two other parts, beyond the motorway, are called Beresford Street Central and Beresford Street West.

The Costley Ward Time Capsule revisited

Back in December last year, I did a post on the memorial to the Costley Ward time capsule at Auckland City Hospital. Sandy posed the question in the comments: "I wonder what was in the time capsule?"

Bless your cottoned socks, Sandy. Just keep those questions coming. It may seem that I forget about folk's questions (and at times, yes, I need a short sharp nudge with a pointy thing to remember), but this time, I have the info.

From the NZ Herald, 2 December 1993:

More than 150 former nurses, doctors and modern-day health officials watched as the lead capsule was opened. Inside was a New Zealand Herald dated July 11, 1898; a handful of coins, and a parchment scroll detailing the bequest made by Mr Edward Costley which funded the building, the names of the hospital board members, and the names of the architect and builder  ... Once the capsule contents have beenn photographed, they will be resealed in another container with 1993 memorabilia and buried in a memorial to be built on the hospital site.

So, the time capsule still exists, and is under the memorial? Only time will tell ...

I must say the Costley Building time capsule fared way better than the one for St Paul's ...

Old cinema sign re-emerges in K'Road

Image from Wikipedia.

The Norman Ng Building in Karangahape Road has undergone a refit. For decades last century it was a fruit and vege shop. I knew it as the Brazil restaurant in the 1990s, then it was a hamburger place -- and now Theatre Cafe. The refit is wonderful -- the arched ceiling is revealed inside once more and outside is in the process of being done up as well.

Then, I noticed something behind all the scaffolding.

This would be the point where anyone accompanying me at the time would see me gape, then point with shaking finger, "See that? See it? That's an old Fuller's Cinemas sign!"

This narrow little building started out in 1925-1926 as the Karangahape Entrance for the Prince Edward Cinema in Pitt Street south, around the corner (the cinema proper became known as the Mercury Theatre, and the street as Mercury Lane).  According to Jan Grefstad in his unpublished Auckland Cinemas (2002), John Fuller & Sons opened the original King's Theatre in 1910. Ben and John Fuller continued to operate the cinema from 1922. In 1926, and American showman named Bud Atkinson "looked at the King's Theatre and diagnosed why it was not doing spectacular business; it had no entrance on Karangahape Road. Plans were prepared by April for an elaborate. marble-tiled entrance, a long corridor opening into a lounge foyer."

From the Auckland Star 15 July 1926:

Chief among the alterations is a new entrance which gives direct access to Karangahape Road.  The general trend of the new entrance is extremely artistic. The price paid for the land for this entrance was £15,000. Two short flights of steps lead to an upper and lower foyer both of which have been lavishly furnished ...

 From the NZ Herald, 12 July 1926:

Have a careful look at the new entrance on Karangahape Road. If you find that the splendour of this beautiful edifice has been overstated do not buy a ticket because maybe we would be equally untruthful about the quality of the entertainment we promise to provide ...

The cinema became the Playhouse from 1948, which was closed by Kerridge in December 1967 and completely altered to become the Mercury Theatre in 1968.

The Karangahape Road entrance was sold off as separate title and became the Norman Ng fruit shop According to historian Helen Wong, the shop was "said to be the only fruit shop with a marble floor." The fruit shop closed in the early 1990s.

Part of an old floor preserved

One of my discoveries today on a day basically spent rambling through history from Karangahape Road to Parnell and then down to near the Auckland waterfront, is this: Levy's Building, corner Commerce Street and Customs Street East.

There is information on the building, which dates from 1896-1897, at the Heritage New Zealand site (it has a Category II registration).

But, what makes this building the subject of a post here, is this:

Set in the beautifully polished floor of the Lonely Dog Gallery on the ground floor, is a remnant, specially conserved and preserved, of blocks of wood which made up part of the floor of the original 19th century warehouse which was once here. The gallery staff member on duty today very kindly gave me permission to take a photograph (it's at an odd angle because I was trying not to get any of the art on display in the shot, and therefore infringe copyright.)

To access the display, go into the gallery (oohh and aahh over the art, it's quite beautiful -- check out the YouTube link), turn left at the entrance, and you'll see the inlaid case in the alcove there.

The sign in the case reads, in part:

The blocks in this case are made from the wood of the Kauri tree ... and were once part of the floor laid in a warehouse that occupied this building in thev late 1890s.

Gilmore, Younghusband & Co, tea merchants, leased  the Levy Building for over twenty years (1897-1918) ...

The Levy Building's Art Deco facade (refurbished in 1934) disguises the building's original appearance as it stood in the commercial hey-day of this part of Auckland City. Erected in 1897, the perimeter walls are of unreinforced brick masonry, typical for the era and purpose for which it was built.

The blocks are the only known remnants of this kind of flooring to have found in the city ... When found in late 2005 many of the kauri cobbles had sustained major structural damage caused by the intermittently damp ground conditions at the site. Conservation work was carried out in 2006 at the University of Auckland ...

Demise of the herons

My apologies for the blurred image -- shot this afternoon from inside a moving bus. This is the intersection of Blockhouse Bay and Great North Roads, at the boundary between Avondale and Waterview. Heron Park is to the right of the photo -- just about the only part of the scene still reflecting on the local herons and their habitat here, with the demise of the former painted control box. That's the replacement in the centre, between the traffic lights and the street sign.

Paul from Auckand-West blog earlier alerted me in the comments section of the previous post on the previous control box.  I rang Auckland Council, and found out from them that the box had been replaced on 5 December 2010 during a planned upgrade, as the old box wasn't big enough. Actually, I think the reason  could also be because Auckland City, since the Super City amalgamation, now appear have a new contractor for their traffic control systems. It isn't CSL any longer -- I'm not sure who it is, but there's a different logo.The new box doesn't seem all that drastically bigger than the previous box.

I know mural art is transitory, but ... Anyway, here's the lesson, from ol' Timespanner folks: PHOTOGRAPH THE PUBLIC ART. You never know when, overnight, it may just simply vanish, as if it never was.

The art was by Doug Ford (thanks for the info, Paul.)

Chris McDowall's animated map of Auckland's public transport network

I felt this was worth linking to -- helps answer the question I often get from folks as to how I manage to get around Auckland without a car ...

The animated map.