WHANGANUI DISTRICT HERITAGE INVENTORY

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WHANGANUI DISTRICT HERITAGE INVENTORY Register Item No: 376 Type: Building Site: Pre-1900 Archaeological Interest Name: CHIEF POST OFFICE Location: 60 Ridgway Street, Whanganui Legal Description: Sec

1 WHANGANUI DISTRICT HERITAGE INVENTORY Register Item No: 376 Type: Building Site: Pre-1900 Archaeological Interest Name: CHIEF POST OFFICE Location: 60 Ridgway Street, Whanganui Legal Description: Sec 1 SO with interest in ROW [1990 Study] or DP 7766 Current Details: Owner: [Contact Whanganui District Council for details] Occupier: NZ Post (Mail Delivery); Philatelic Bureau (Stamps Shop) Original Owner: NZ Government Date: 1940 Architect/Designer: R G Talboys of R G Talboys & Associates, 1938 Builder: WM Angus Ltd of Napier; Phillip Allen of Wellington, Consulting Engineer Other Contractors are noted in History Status: Whanganui District Plan: Old Town Area, Class B, 2013 Thematic Context: Transport & Communication Significance: Historic, Architectural, Technological, Cultural, Context Integrity: Substantially intact Photo Reference: WDC File ref: Heritage/Inventory/B16 19m & B16 19n Date: December 2003 The Chief Post Office on Ridgway Street, viewed from the Avenue intersection. History: Heritage Inventory 376 CHIEF POST OFFICE 60 Ridgway Street Page 1 zxy365

2 Of the site: 1903/1908: A number of buildings occupied the site, including the Bank of Australasia, William E Hogg s confectionery and refreshment rooms and a billiard saloon. 1914: The Bank of Australasia had moved to new premises on Victoria Avenue [see B16.5] and Dustin s had established the Strand Café. By 1929, no establishments were noted in Wise s Directory on Ridgway Street before the National Bank location. The Telegraph Department was housed in the old Bank of Australasia building; other buildings may have had temporary tenants as plans for a new Post Office were already being mooted for this site. Of the building: The decision to build a new Chief Post Office for Wanganui was taken by 1937; the old Post Office on the corner of Ridgway Street and Victoria Ave [see B16-18] was no longer large enough to house all Post & Telegraph activities and there had been considerable pressure since the late 1920s from Wanganui people who needed a new Post Office capable of serving what was then still a growing city. In March 1937 the Post & Telegraph Department instructed Wanganui architect, Robert Talboys, to prepare plans for a post office building of a modern design. Talboys had hoped to have the plans completed that year, but his final plans are dated 1938, indicating that several versions may have been prepared before the P&T Department was ready to proceed. Building tenders were advertised in Building Progress, Oct WM Angus, contractors from Napier won the tender for the 90,000 building. Construction began in Feb 1939 following demolition of the old buildings on the site. On 25 Oct 1939, the foundation stone for the new CPO was laid by the Hon F Jones, Postmaster at the time. The structure was largely in place by the end of 1939 but it would take nearly a year to complete the building. Robert Talboys used to walk around the site with Mr Angus, Snr carrying with him a 3-foot ruler as they inspected progress (Oral history, Michael Talboys to Robert Young, April 2001). Other contractors involved were: Electrical: D.A. Morrison, Wanganui - all electrical installation, lighting, lifts, Telegram tube system and stoker feeder for the boiler system. Plumbing: Tom Russell, Wanganui - installation of Beeston boiler and centrifugal pump and ventilation system for basement. Note all sanitary equipment installed was manufactured in New Zealand Roofing: J.A. Redpath & Sons, Wellington - supplied and installed fabric roofing and rubber flooring. Timber and Cement: Wanganui Sash and Door Co. Painting: W.H. Firth &Co, Wellington. Flooring: Auckland Terrazzo Co. -includes mail and letter slots and flooring and staircases. Furnishings: Cuthbertson & Lee, Wanganui - supplied window blinds and office furniture. The new Chief Post Office was opened by the Postmaster-General, Hon PC Webb, on 11 Dec From this date, all branches of the Post and Telegraph Department in Wanganui were once again together in one building. As well as mail sorting facilities and a postal and banking centre, the building housed the toll room, VHF and telecommunications facilities, engineer s office and administration offices. For the next 47 years, the Chief Post Office served Wanganui and its citizens. The first change came in 1987 when the NZ Post Office was restructured and Wanganui District administration was taken over by the Palmerston North Area office. Local operations were separated into the retail Post Shop and the Mail Service Centre, both still located in the Chief Post Office. In 1989 the Post Bank moved out of the building, and the Philatelic Bureau returned to the first floor, having briefly been located in a Victoria Avenue shop. (The Bureau had moved to Wanganui from Wellington in 1974.) In 1999 the Post Shop within the Chief Post Office building was relocated to Books and More bookshop within Trafalgar Square in Wanganui. This was in line with current Post Office policy throughout New Zealand. From this time, only the Mid Avenue Post Office in Wanganui operated as a stand-alone Post Shop. The Mail Centre still operates from the Chief Post Office, as do the post boxes and the Philatelic Bureau. In 2000 the mail sorting was transferred to Palmerston North, although Wanganui delivery services continue to be based at the Chief Post Office building. Heritage Inventory 376 CHIEF POST OFFICE 60 Ridgway Street Page 2 zxy365

3 Description: A three-storeyed ferro-concrete structure covering an area approx 50,000 sq feet (4645 sq metres), the Chief Post Office was the largest single building in Wanganui at the time. The Ridgway Street frontage extends for 137 ft (41.5 metres) and the building height is 52 ft (16 metres). The frontage is slightly stepped back on either side of the entrance façade, with an additional step back to the part of the building housing the PO boxes. A central void provides a light well serving the internal parts of the building. The architectural style of the building has been described as stripped classical (Peter Shaw in The History of New Zealand Architecture). The Wanganui Chronicle 11 Dec 1940 described the façade as simple and not bold in its proportion, the character being strengthened by a fine use of materials. The bold pink Hamner stone base and columns are finely axed, giving a sure foundation to the finer finish of the coloured plaster above. A particular feature is the use of bronze spandrels linking the four sets of windows above the entrance. One of these above the entrance still has GR VI as the building was erected in the reign of King George VI. The parapets are ribbed at the top, with spiral motifs on each corner step. However, the most significant feature of the building is the use of Maori ornamentation on the four stone columns supporting the main entrance. Robert Talboys went to considerable trouble to research the koruru motifs which were sculptured in Christchurch. As the Wanganui district has for centuries been the home of the Maori people and is rich in Maori tradition, it is fitting that this building should have featured such ornamentation considered to be the first time that koruru had been used in a civic building of this importance. The Wanganui Chronicle (11 Dec 1940) noted that the architect is to be complimented on breaking away from the orthodox Greek and Roman capitals to perpetuate that of his own country. This was appropriate when New Zealand was celebrating its first centenary as a Nation. Inside the building, the main vestibule is finished with polished marble on the walls. The stairs are constructed from terrazzo, a material that is also used around the letter slots. Marble was used on the counters in the public office. The electrical installation was considered to be a particular feature of the new building. The heating system in the building used an electrically-driven centrifugal pump, believed to be the most efficient of its kind at the time. The basement area was also ventilated by electrically-driven fans. Electricity was also used in a number of ways to increase the efficiency of the post office organization. Telegrams were delivered to an upper floor by electrically-driven tubes; more than 50 electric clocks around the building guaranteed that everyone worked to the same time and glass-diffusing units were used for the lighting to reduce glare. The night-time use of the mail room was considered with the installation of imported glass steel units to assist with the lighting needs. Peer reviews of the building: This is a wonderfully adventurous building given its architectural context and probably Robert Talboys most stunning civic commission Robert Young, RG Talboys exhibition, Sarjeant Gallery, Wanganui Peter Shaw in The History of New Zealand Architecture praises the building with its strongly vertical stripped classical proportions. He notes the 'restrained detailing is not classical but Maori koruru heads, vestigial moulded pilasters and canoe prow spiral motifs mark the stepped parapet. Michael Talboys described the building as his father's piece de resistance (Interview with Robert Young 2001) Condition: Excellent exterior; interior not visited. Resources Consulted: Wanganui District Council Building file (60 Ridgway St) has no plans or papers re building of CPO; only papers re signs in the 1980s and internal alterations in 1995 and Heritage Study, #16/2 and photograph. Wanganui Post Office & Postal Services, RM Startup (unpublished history; copy with Randal Springer) Wanganui Chronicle 20 March 1937 report on architect s appointment Wanganui Chronicle 11 Dec 1940 report on opening of new CPO Wanganui Chronicle 14 Aug 1999 closing of Post Office Shop in CPO Heritage Inventory 376 CHIEF POST OFFICE 60 Ridgway Street Page 3 zxy365

4 Wanganui: The River City of New Zealand, 1940 publication includes architectural drawing of new post office. Architectural Drawings for Talboys Post Office, Whanganui Regional Museum, uncatalogued collection in the basement archives. The reference is Roll 66 (as listed in the green Talboys office inventory) which contains working drawing sets numbered 4, 8, 9 and one other which has the working tender drawings. There are also some hand drawn and rendered perspective sketches (1937) on tracing paper. One of these was used for the Robert Talboys Exhibition at the Sarjeant in (There is also another unbound roll of 'cancelled drawings.) The original plans show all the construction and finishing detail including the cabinet for the stamp vending machine in the vestibule. Hodgson, T. Looking at the Architecture of New Zealand. Wellington: Grantham House, Shaw, P. A History of New Zealand Architecture. Auckland: Hodder, Moa, Beckett, 2003 (3 rd Edition). Shepherd, F. Auckland School of Architecture (File). Contact Wendy Garvey for details. Young, R. Robert Talboys: A Twentieth Century Practice. Exhibition Catalogue. Sarjeant Gallery: Wanganui, Young, R. Wall text at the Sarjeant Gallery, Wanganui for the exhibition entitled 'Robert Talboys: A Twentieth Century Practice' - Feb to April Young, R. Oral History with Michael Talboys [son of RG], Whanganui Regional Museum, Building Progress, Feb 1941 Building Progress, Oct 1938 (Tender for new Post Office) Comments on Significance: Historic Postal services started in Wanganui in 1841 and the telegraph service in The CPO building housed Post & Telegraph operations from Dec 1940, a century after the postal service had been established in Wanganui. For almost 130 years, Wanganui residents conducted their postal business in one of three buildings in the Ridgway Street/Victoria Avenue area. The CPO was the last of these central post offices and the most imposing of the three buildings. It was a major civic commission at a time when Wanganui was still the fifth largest city in New Zealand. Architectural The modern classical design reflects the culture of New Zealand, using Maori motifs that were most unusual in such civic commissions in the late 1930s. The CPO was opened in New Zealand s centenary year, a time when the country was celebrating nationhood and looking to define its own identity. This building is a reminder of that time. The CPO has been praised by architects, illustrated and discussed in a number of books on New Zealand architecture. It featured in the exhibition celebrating RG Talboys architectural work held at the Sarjeant Gallery in Technological The use of electricity to maximise efficiency of the building, including the telegraph, lighting and heating systems, was very innovative at the time. The Wanganui electrical company, DA Morrison, was responsible for the electrical systems; Morrison s was one of the first electrical companies established in New Zealand. Cultural With rapid changes in communications technology, postal services have become much less used than they were even in the 1980s. The telegraph system had disappeared altogether by then, made redundant by more universal telephone ownership. Purpose-built post offices all around New Zealand have become redundant as systems for mail delivery and postage have been refined. The CPO is a reminder of the postal systems operating in the last half of the 20 th century. Heritage Inventory 376 CHIEF POST OFFICE 60 Ridgway Street Page 4 zxy365

In 1999, Allen Thomas, ex-telegraph boy and suburban postmaster, said of the CPO: It was much more than just a place where people came to buy stamps, pay accounts, post parcels or do their banking.

5 In 1999, Allen Thomas, ex-telegraph boy and suburban postmaster, said of the CPO: It was much more than just a place where people came to buy stamps, pay accounts, post parcels or do their banking. It was a place where people mattered. (Wanganui Chronicle, 14 Aug 1999) The place and role of Maori in Wanganui s history is recognised in the ornamentation on the building, providing a cultural link between the Europeans who developed the post and telegraph systems and the tangata whenua of the district. Context The design and grandeur of the CPO defines it as a landmark building in Wanganui (Wanganui Chronicle 14 Aug 1999). It also sits comfortably alongside its Ridgway Street neighbours, complementing the Edwardian architecture of the previous Post Office. It is one of the most important buildings in Wanganui. Recommendations: Study Team recommends Registration by NZ Historic Places Trust (Category 1 building). Date: 10 December 2003 Research by: Wendy Pettigrew Close-up of the Chief Post Office showing post boxes. Include architect s drawing of building (as featured in 1940 publication on Wanganui) - may be one of the perspective sketches in the Museum collection. Heritage Inventory 376 CHIEF POST OFFICE 60 Ridgway Street Page 5 zxy365

WHANGANUI DISTRICT HERITAGE INVENTORY

WHANGANUI DISTRICT HERITAGE INVENTORY Register Item No: 421 Type: Building Site: Pre-1900 Archaeological Interest Name: DUIGAN S BUILDINGS Location: 23 Ridgway Street, Whanganui Legal Description: Originally