Ellison and Duncan Ltd were offices for traders and ship merchants. The original building was reconstructed after the 1931 earthquake. It use to be located on another street in Ahuriri. However, the road was closed. Then the building was used as part of a road transport and warehouse company. The building itself was then demolished to provide room for a housing development. The facade was relocated to its present site in 1993. It now backs onto an apartment building. A major restoration took place to bring it back to its original look and finish. This involved repainting it in the colour scheme it once had by using paint fragments as a guide. This all lead to an award of merit from the Art Deco trust.
That sounds like a lot of work, but well worth the effort!
ReplyDeleteI agree however we seem to be passionate about our old buildings here :)
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