Art Deco Trust makes proposal for Women's Rest

The Art Deco Trust offers guided tours.

The Art Deco Trust, in partnership with Napier City Council, is exploring an opportunity to restore and occupy the site of the Women's Rest in Memorial Square.

Historic Places Hawke's Bay has long advocated for restoration of the Women's Rest to its former glory, taking a keen interest in the search for a suitable guardian of this Category 1 building, says trust heritage manager Jeremy Smith.

"This is an opportunity the trust sees as worthy of examination. While the current home of Art Deco Trust is well situated, the building itself presents a number of challenges, both physical and commercial, which will need to be addressed sooner than later."

Jeremy says the Women's Rest, which was closed several years ago after not meeting earthquake compliance standards, is a compelling proposition, very much in line with the mission of the trust to protect, promote and celebrate our Art Deco era heritage.

"We welcome and encourage Art Deco Trust members to join the conversation as we explore this opportunity."

The potential for the Napier City Council to partner with the Art Deco Trust to restore the Women's Rest building for the community will be investigated. At this stage, they are awaiting a formal proposal from the Art Deco Trust to fully understand their requirements.

Since forming in 1985 to advocate for the preservation of Napier's Art Deco built heritage, Art Deco Trust has flourished and now operates a range of heritage focused activities, including The Robert McGregor Heritage Fund, Guided Tours, and the world famous Art Deco Festival Napier and Winter Deco Weekend.

"We are very excited about exploring this opportunity to work in partnership with the Art Deco Trust on the restoration of our iconic Women's Rest building, however the first stage is to formally receive their proposal.

"Once we have more details, further steps will be planned in conjunction with all our key stakeholders such as the RSAs, Historic Places, National Council of Women and the wider community," says Mayor Kirsten Wise.

Art Deco Trust chairwoman Barbara Arnott says the trust is very positive about becoming the custodian of the women's rest.

"We think that the partnership with the council to return this building to community use with the Art Deco Trust will be a real win-win for the council, the trust and the city. Our proposal will be lodged in council as soon as possible."

■ The Art Deco Trust presented in the public forum of the Future Napier committee on March 24. You can view the clip here: https://www.facebook.com/NapierCityCouncil/videos/355744496487816

To let the trust know your thoughts email membership@artdeconapier.com.