Dannevirke's Carnegie Centre prompts plea to preserve heritage buildings

Dannevirke's unique Carnegie Centre. Photo / File

The issue of Dannevirke's Carnegie Centre was once again raised with Tararua District Council at its meeting on Wednesday when local resident Chris Capes took advantage of the public forum to air his views.

"The question of heritage and the debate over its place in our lives is a long-standing one. The debate between preservation of heritage in its many forms and progressive development is an ongoing one steeped in conflict and time," Capes said.

Good balanced governance was essential and elected officials were employed to recognise their responsibility to govern well, with an eye to the deeper wider perspectives opening as the future unfolds, he said.

"Heritage buildings like the Carnegie building are unique.

"The Carnegie building is only one example of the history of this country that is going to be lost if efforts are not made to value it and with imagination preserve it."

Capes said New Zealand was losing too much of its built history.

"Living in Christchurch I became aware of the conflict between development and heritage conservation in the years before the 2010 Christchurch earthquakes."

Over successive years Capes said he had written articles in the Addington Times voicing concerns over rampant redevelopment of Christchurch's cityscape, and became involved in movements to prevent the demolition of Manchester Courts and the development of The University of Canterbury's School of Music building at Christchurch's Art Centre.

"I created a project which I named Project Snapshot which would have preserved, in photographic and video form, the streetscape and architecture of any Christchurch buildings that were being cited for demolition and redevelopment, before they were destroyed. I was desperately poor and was looking for funding to get a camera to do the job."

This was before the earthquakes on September 4, 2010.

Capes said he was met with somewhat patronising responses and less than enthusiastic support.

Then the earthquake struck and the devastation began.

"The Manawatu Standard asked me a year later, looking back, if I felt vindicated."

Capes said Project Snapshot still exists and he was still prepared to photograph and record for posterity the townscape and landscape of any locality.

"Please preserve your heritage architecture, but if you insist on demolishing it please at least photograph it comprehensively, inside and out, before you turn it to rubble. That way future generations may be able to reconstruct what has been lost."