Auckland Art Gallery roof replacement gets underway

The original roof of the Auckland Art Gallery. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

By RNZ

A restoration of Auckland’s historic art gallery building will remain as true to the original architecture as possible.

The 1887 building has had the same roof since it was first opened to the public, but it has now degraded and needs repairs.

Auckland Art Gallery director Kirsten Lacy said it is vital to preserve as much of the building as possible.

She said the goal is not to beautify the building, but to improve on the existing design.

Lacy said they are using slate mined from the very same quarry in the UK as the original materials.

“It’s one of Auckland’s very first civic buildings. We are not beautifying it in any other way other than to improve how it was initially designed.”

She expected the restoration to take about two years, and not affect access to the art gallery itself.

Each slate needs to be replaced by hand, and there are only a handful of installers in New Zealand that are skilled enough.

“We know how important the gallery is to Aucklanders, and to art lovers everywhere, and that it is essential we continue to protect it for everyone’s enjoyment, now and into the future,” Nick Hill, chief executive of economic development agency Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, said.

Updates on the status of the restoration can be found on the Auckland Art Gallery website.

- RNZ