Restoration work in the top floor of Whangārei's Old Municipal Building, known as the town hall. Photo / WDC
The finish line is in sight for the restoration of Whangārei’s iconic old town hall six years after it was badly damaged in a fire.
Flames destroyed parts of the Old Municipal Building after a blaze broke out in October 2019.
The damage was so severe that Whangārei District councillors in 2023 considered demolishing it but instead gave it a lifeline by voting in favour of restoring the now 113-year-old building.
The $7.4 million restoration is expected to be completed by the New Year.
Whangārei District Council project manager Gerard Sugrue said the project was on budget with the finish line in sight.
Once the restoration is complete, the building will become home to former Community Hub tenants: Multicultural Whangārei, Volunteering Northland, WINGS, Literacy Whangārei, Multiple Sclerosis Society and Dyslexia Plus.
The council reported the top floor, however, will be let to a commercial tenant that will generate a steady income to offset future costs and cover maintenance of the historic building.
Sugrue said all the areas damaged by the fire have been repaired. The roof has been replaced, and the main part of the building has been seismic strengthened.
“The ground floor has been carefully restored to reflect the original design, with all of the original trims and many of the original doors refurbished and reinstalled.”
Sugrue said the second floor has been redesigned with a modern layout to suit new tenants and will be fitted out by the main contractor as a variation.
“Both levels have been upgraded to meet current New Zealand standards for accessibility, electrical and fire.”
Precast concrete walls have been installed to form the new lift annex, further improving access to the building.
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga has been consulted throughout the process to safekeep the building’s heritage “feel and fabric”.
“ ... Many of the trims, old doors and elements of the old building have been restored and reused,” Sugrue said.
The council acknowledged restoring the building had been a long process, further hampered by the pandemic.
“Covid-19 was discovered only two months after the fire. The following year was spent in and out of lockdown, slowing down work, and causing major supply-line problems and price rises across the world for steel beams and other building materials,” the council said.
Insurance had been enough to bring the building up to its former standard but not the current building code requirements.
Council said the annex added to the back of the building had not been covered by insurance. However, its rotten roof needed replacing and its brick walls had to be anchored together with more than 3000 brick ties.
New foundations were drawn out because Bank St, where the old town hall is located, was atop basalt rock.
“Working out what could be done, what would produce the best result for the ratepayer, and how it could be funded took much longer than anticipated,” the council said.
“A few more discoveries about the building’s construction, condition and repairs over the past 110 years meant there was always something surprising around the corner.”
Sugrue said the contractor ARCO Group and teams who had brought the project this far deserved recognition for their staying power.
“Completion is in sight, and the building should be good for at least another century in business, reminding us of the commitment the people of the district have made to important, landmark buildings that serve the community for generations.”