New Zealand Insurance Company Building, Dunedin

New Zealand Insurance Company Building
The New Zealand Insurance Company Building, Dunedin, in 2017
Interactive map of the New Zealand Insurance Company Building area
General information
LocationDunedin, New Zealand
Coordinates45°52′41″S 170°30′12″E / 45.878124°S 170.503428°E / -45.878124; 170.503428
Designated26 November 1987
Reference no.4375

The New Zealand Insurance Company Building is a historic building in Dunedin, New Zealand.

History

Designed by architect Nathaniel Wales, the building was constructed in 1885 by the New Zealand Insurance Company, which had been founded in 1859 by lawyer Thomas Russell, on a corner site in a newly reclaimed area, secured under a 21-year lease. The new premises were officially opened in 1886 as the company's office in Dunedin.[1]

Later, the building was restored by its owner, Nigel L. Brook, who received an award for the project in 1987.[1]

The building has been listed as a Category 1 historic place by Heritage New Zealand since 1987.[1]

Description

The building overlooks Queens Gardens, in central Dunedin, on the corner with Crawford Street.[1]

For its time, it was a notably large structure, rising to three storeys rather than the more typical two. Built in rendered brick with Oamaru stone detailing and a slate roof, it features an elegant façade characterised by ornamental pilasters, mouldings, and a parapet articulated into four triangular pediments with balustrades. At ground level, the larger pilasters display alternating bolstered and reticulated finishes.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "New Zealand Insurance Company Building (Former)". Heritage New Zealand - Pouhere Taonga. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

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