Renowned heritage architect Jeremy Salmond dies at 79

Jeremy Salmond QSO FNZIA to be remembered for his generosity, kindness, and wit. Photo / Supplied

Jeremy Salmond QSO FNZIA, an architect renowned for restoring historic buildings in New Zealand, has died.

Salmond passed peacefully in Auckland on January 3 – the day after his 79th birthday.

He worked on restoring a number of marae, Auckland’s Civic Theatre, the Pompallier Printing House in Russell, St Matthew in-the-City in Auckland, Sacred Heart Cathedral in Wellington, Auckland Art Gallery, the former Auckland Chief Post Office, the Auckland War Memorial Museum, and the former Auckland Jewish Synagogue.

Salmond was also the heritage architect for the Britomart Precinct and established the Waikereru Ecosanctuary in Gisborne with his wife Dame Anne Salmond – an anthropologist, environmentalist, and writer.

Salmond’s friends and colleagues said he was “much loved for his generosity, kindness, and wit”.

He was the founding director of Salmond Reed Architects, and was awarded the Queen’s Service Order in 2007 for his contribution to the preservation of New Zealand’s heritage of significant buildings.

Architecture ran in Salmond’s blood. His grandfather, Louis Salmond, was regarded for his work in Dunedin.

Jeremy Salmond was raised in Gore and studied in Otago and Auckland. He worked in England, before resuming post-graduate studies, and finally establishing his own practice in Devonport, Auckland.

His thesis for his Master of Architecture in 1982 was subsequently published as: Old New Zealand Houses: 1800-1940. The landmark publication is now in its eighth edition.

In 1991, Salmond was elected a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Architects for his “outstanding contribution to the conservation of historic buildings”. Just over a decade later, he was elected as a Fellow of the Auckland Museum for his contribution to the practice of building conservation in New Zealand.

In 2010, Salmond co-wrote Villa: from Heritage to Contemporary.

In 2020, he was recognised by the University of Auckland with the Distinguished Alumni Award.

Salmond is survived by Dame Anne and their three children, Amiria, Steve and Tim.

He will be farewelled at 10am on Saturday January 7 at St Matthew-in-the-City in Auckland.