The Star Boating Club Building is significant due to its long standing association with the Star Boating Club. Initially founded as the Star Regatta Club, the club was established in 1866 by H.F. Logan, J.C. Boddington and R. Kirton, among others, and the name was quickly changed to the Star Boating Club. The Star Boating Club is the third oldest rowing club in New Zealand. New Zealand's oldest rowing club, the Canterbury Rowing Club, was established in 1861, while the second oldest club, the Union Rowing Club in Christchurch, was also established in 1866. The Star Boating Club is the oldest rowing club in the North Island, with the Auckland Rowing Club established in 1869 and the neighbouring Wellington Rowing club established in 1871. In terms of New Zealand sporting clubs more broadly, the Star Boating Club is the oldest sporting club in Wellington and one of the oldest in the North Island.
Rowing was a popular sport for men and the Star Boating Club was once possibly the largest athletic club in the Southern Hemisphere, boasting 390 members prior to World War One. The club has operated continuously since 1866, though in a reduced capacity during World War One and World War Two. A large number of the club's members served in both World Wars as well as in the Boer War. Their service is acknowledged within the club buildings on Rolls of Honour as well as with photographs.
The Star Boating Club Building was purpose built for the club, on reclaimed land. Wellington Harbour has a long history of Maori settlement and the harbour is of importance to local iwi. In particular, Te Aro Pa was in close proximity to this part of Wellington Harbour. The Star Boating Club building was originally sited on Customhouse Quay, on land later occupied by Briscoe Mills. The site was reclaimed from Wellington Harbour, an initiative paid for by members of the club.
The architect was William Charles Chatfield, himself a member of the club. William Chatfield was the noted architect of a number of buildings in the Wellington area including the Stewart Dawson's building, built 1901 (Record number 1871) and Bishop's Court, built 1879 (Record number 1361). The two-storeyed design of the club building allocated storage space for rowing boats on the ground floor and other facilities upstairs. The iron-roofed timber building was erected in 1886 by contractors W. Fitzgerald and E.Connal, at a total cost of £2,101/14/8. Timbers used in the construction include kauri, heart matai and other indigenous heart timbers. The Star Boating Club building is now a rare timber building in the central city. It is also the oldest building in its immediate area; the neighbouring Wellington Rowing Club building is eight years younger, and was built on the site next to the Star Boating Club in 1894.
The 1886 building was not the Star Boating Club's first clubhouse; their first shed was erected in 1867 near the site of the Cenotaph. This site proved less than ideal, with club members having to carry their boats to the water at low tide. Harbour reclamation resulted in the club relocating to another shed in 1874, and this shed was extended in 1878. Further harbour reclamations during 1883 meant that the club needed to move yet again. Given that the club's previous boatsheds had been affected by harbour reclamations, the new Star Boating Club Building was specifically designed in such a way that it could be easily relocated. This involved constructing the club on skids, so it could be towed to a new location when it became necessary. This foresight proved its worth soon enough, as it was only three years later, in 1889, that the clubrooms were moved due to ongoing harbour reclamations, which had resulted in the clubhouse losing some of its water frontage. The Star Boating Club Building was pulled by steam engine, at a cost of £125, to the site the building then occupied on Jervois Quay for 100 years [Lot 3 DP 2428]. The building is likely to be the only building in Wellington designed to be relocated in this way. It is probable that is the only building in New Zealand transported in this way, due to the distinctive situation in Wellington that involved a lot of land being reclaimed from the harbour.
In 1893 the club grounds were fenced and two years later the middle windows in the reading room were replaced by a french window. The Star Boating Club Building was described in 1897 as possessing a social and reading room situated on the upper floor, as well as a complete gymnasium, dressing rooms and other conveniences. In 1907 the social hall, dressing rooms, lobbies and staircases were renovated.
Members of the Star Boating Club formed their own volunteer corps in 1898, The Star Boating Club Submarine Mining Volunteer Corps. In 1900 it was proposed that the Volunteer Corps be severed from the Star Boating Club and by the 15th of August 1900 the renamed Wellington Sub-marine Mining Corps were meeting at the Academy of Fine Arts. The group disbanded in 1901 and the funds went to the Star Boating Club. Prior to the First World War the club also engaged members in sporting activities other than rowing, including debating, football and boxing. Club members were also involved in annual balls.
Over time the club rooms have been associated with organisations other than the Star Boating Club, and have been used by many groups for a variety of purposes. During World War One the Star Boating Club Building was used by the club's ladies committee. This group prepared garments for the expeditionary forces to Samoa and Egypt. The social hall and other parts of the clubhouse were used by the St. John Ambulance Brigade Overseas, who were engaged in making hospital equipment on site, as well as using the building for lectures, training and making parcels for troops overseas. In 1921 the building was described as being in a bad state of repair and in 1922 there was a small fire which damaged the stairway and the upstairs hall. In 1930 a window was installed in the door bay, and in 1935 improvements were made to the supper room.
In 1931 the Wellington Rowing Club moved into the building adjacent to Star Boating Club Building, furthering the bonds between these two clubs. At this time an addition was constructed between the two clubrooms. The two rowing clubs had previously enjoyed a close but competitive relationship, and this relationship continues to the present day. The clubs remain neighbours and the two clubrooms are now joined by a later addition used by both clubs to store boats.
Prior to the outbreak of WWII Star Boating Club members formed their own military platoon attached to Wellington 'B' Regiment. The club is possibly the only sporting body in New Zealand to have done so. The Second World War saw many club members serving overseas and a number of other groups made use of the building during this time. Groups which used the building included the Auxillary Transport Section (Women's section) of the Red Cross Society who from 1941 used the clubrooms for training purposes one evening a week. In 1941 the Police Identification Branch also requested the use of the ground floor of Star Boating Club Building for use 'as a cleaning station for casualties in the event of an emergency'. A swarm of earthquakes in 1942 resulted in the clubrooms being used by the Traffic Department, the chainmen of the Engineers Department and the Ladies Patriotic Committee. The Council agreed to renovate the premises in order to accommodate these groups, on the condition that the building was to be returned to its prior state after the groups vacated. The Wellington Provincial Patriotic Society also used the building, as well as erecting a shed along the full length of the southern side of a piece of vacant land in front of the building in 1944. This building was still standing in 1946. The Star Boating Club's lease was not renewed in 1944, as at that time the intention was to house the club in the new civic centre.
In 1945 the exterior of the eastern end of the Star Boating Club Building was slightly damaged by fire, and the clubrooms were renovated the same year. This included transferring the lockers to the social hall and converting the dressing room into a dance hall, removing the platform from along the top of the hall and installing a semicircular stage in a corner of the hall and double doors into the north wall. The floor was also repaired and made suitable for dancing and the walls lined with Pinex. In 1946 the committee room was altered for lockers. The building's association with other groups continued after the Second World War. The clubrooms were leased to various groups including the New Settlers Association, Crowe's orchestra, the Amateur Theatrical Group, the Table Tennis Association and the Rue Sae Club. To meet Council safety requirements, and in order to keep renting the building out to various groups, fire exits were constructed in 1956, other renovations were carried out in 1957 and a new stairway was constructed in 1963. The Star Boating Club Building was also renovated in 1965, in time for the club's centennial celebrations. These renovations included altering the hall and facilities with the intention of creating 'a most modern cabaret style hall'. A bar was installed in 1966 and a large window was installed in the hall in 1967. From 1974 and into the 1980s the Londoners Club of Wellington Inc. was located on the upper floor of the Star Boating Club Building.
The Star Boating Club has had a number of prominent members, both in sporting circles and in the wider community. Rowing was very much the domain of upper class men for much of its early history. The membership of the club reflected this, with many members being prominent names in Wellington and New Zealand history. Former Governor General, recipient of the VC and military general, Lord Freyberg is perhaps the most famous former member of the Star Boating Club.
Of the many people who have rowed for the club, some have gone on to represent New Zealand at events such as the Olympics. George Cooke is one such athlete; he rowed for the New Zealand Eight at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1932. Rowing has been an important sport for New Zealand at an international level since 1920 when Darcy Hadfield won a bronze medal as part of the first New Zealand Olympic team. Since that time New Zealand rowers have won 16 Olympic medals (six gold, two silver and eight bronze). Rowing medals account for 18 percent of the total Olympic medals won by New Zealanders. On a national level, the Star Boating Club has also produced a number of New Zealand Championship winners.
The Star Boating Club building has also played an important part in the history of the Downstage Theatre. Downstage Theatre is New Zealand's longest running professional theatre company; it was established in 1964 and continues to operate today. The motivation to rent the building to Downstage was to raise funds in order to build new clubrooms. The Star Boating Club Building was used by Downstage between 1969 and 1973 while the Hannah Playhouse was being constructed. Downstage Theatre carried out a number of modifications to the upper storey of the building during this time, including removing posts, while the rowing club continued to operate from the ground floor. Star Boating Club's honours boards were removed from the walls of the main venue at this time - these boards, constructed of oak shipped over from England, record the Club's regatta wins from the 1890s to the late 1960s and were rediscovered in the building's ceiling in 2007. In 1970 new changing rooms were constructed downstairs as Downstage was now using the upstairs changing rooms. During Downstage's time at the Star Boating Club Building a number of notable New Zealanders, including Ray Henwood, Pat Evison, George Webby, Peter Gwynne, Heather Eggleton, John Banas, Dorothy McKegg, Colin McColl, Ken Blackburn, Harry Lavington, Glenis Levestam, Kate Harcourt, Grant Tilly, Fergus Dick, Donna Akersten, Bruce Greenfield, Catherine Wilkin, Susan Wilson, Peter Vere-Jones, Bruce Mason, Ian Mune, Ross Jolly, Janice Finn, Ian Fraser, Dave Smith, Michael Haigh, Sam Neill, Ginette McDonald, Paul Holmes and John Clarke were acting with the company.
Early in the 1970s harbour reclamation continued and the building was again facing the potential loss of its waterfront position. A small area in front of the club buildings remained as a lagoon so that the club could continue rowing. This was intended as a short term measure. For a number of years the prospect of demolishing the Star Boating Club, as well as the Wellington Rowing Club building, had been discussed by the club and with the council. The two rowing clubs were described as 'an eyesore in the centre of the Capital city' in a Wellington City Council report. In 1972 the Wellington Rowing Club was issued with an eviction notice due to the building's poor state of repair. The intention was that once the building was demolished the two clubs would share the Star Boating Club Building, as it was deemed to be in a better condition. However, due to the size of each club they could not both be accommodated within the Star Boating Club Building, and the eviction notice for the Wellington Rowing Club building was rescinded. Both clubs lobbied against relocation to a site adjacent to Freyberg Pool, as it was deemed to be an unsuitable site for rowing. In order to remain in their respective buildings both clubs undertook renovations to their clubhouses in order to meet council requirements.
In 1989 the Star Boating Club Building was relocated for a second time, as part of the first stage of the Lambton Harbour redevelopment project. The Lambton Harbour redevelopment project also saw the development of Frank Kitts Park and later the City to Sea bridge. The neighbouring Wellington Rowing Club building was also moved. The Star Boating Club Building was moved about 100 metres north across the lagoon and rotated 180 degrees so that, for the first time in its history, the building now faces towards the city (and lagoon) rather than towards the sea. The lagoon was also enlarged and redeveloped at this time. The building was extensively refurbished at the time of the relocation and the 1931 addition between the two buildings was demolished. In its place a single-storeyed structure, for housing additional boats, was built connecting the two buildings, and is shared by both boating clubs. Refurbishments to the Star Boating Club Building included the replacing or repairing of windows and doors and the construction of a new foundation. Up until this time the foundations of the building had been skids which had to be repaired often, and the clubrooms had not been permanently fixed to the foundations, in order to facilitate easy relocation. The construction of a new foundation resulted in some issues at the time around the ownership of the building and the land it occupied. Currently the Star Boating Club owns the building while Wellington Waterfront Limited owns the land it is situated on, as well as the boatshed which joins the Star Boating Club Building to the Wellington Rowing Club building.
After relocation the clubrooms of the Star Boating Club Building came to be used increasingly as a venue, since 1994 marketed under the name The Boatshed. In this capacity the building has had a significant association with cultural life in Wellington. It was used as a venue for the 1992 Fringe Festival, and that year larger windows and a balcony were installed on the northern wall of the building. In 1993 it was the venue for the Gay and Lesbian Devotion Festival.
In the early 1990's, by which time the Star Boating Club building had fallen into a woeful state of disrepair, major refurbishment and restoration work was orchestrated by the property management members of the Club Committee who made a successful application to the Lotteries Communities Facilities Board for a grant to undertake necessary work in conjunction with the New Zealand International Arts Festival. Demonstrating the community attachment to the building, Athfield Architects and Rider Hunt, Quantity Surveyors contributed invaluable professional services and instruction without any guarantee of payment. Many club members and associates also were instrumental in saving the building, contributing their time to numerous fundraising activities. Modifications to the building at this time included changes to the kitchen, toilets, changing rooms, committee room and the creation of three new storage rooms as well as the resultant repositioning of windows and doors. A new deck was also constructed. These changes coincided with the building being used as the Festival Club for the 1994 and 1996 International Festival of the Arts. Performers at the Star Boating Club have included When The Cat's Been Spayed, Mika and the Nairobi Trio. The building has also been a venue for the Annual 'Beacons of Hope' Aids Memorial and the 1999 and 2000 NZ TV2 Comedy Festival.
Aside from these high profile events the Boatshed continues to be popular venue for weddings, conferences and other events, and was the venue for one of New Zealand's first Civil Unions immediately following adoption of the Civil Union Bill by Parliament, at which the Mayor of Wellington, Kerry Prendergast, was the celebrant. The Star Boating Club committee, continuing the behest of the founders, have deemed that the Boatshed clubrooms also be available to the widest possible community by virtue of a decision not to become licensed premises (food and/or alcohol) and that it continues to provide support to education, arts, and sporting groups wishing to use the venue. The rowing club continues to attract rowers and has close links with secondary school rowing especially with Queen Margaret College, Wellington Girls' College and Wellington College.
The distinctive Star Boating Club Building remains a prominent feature on the Wellington waterfront and contributes greatly to the streetscape in the surrounding area. This decorative building, along with the neighbouring Wellington Rowing Club, has strong associations for Wellingtonians and provides a visible reminder of Wellington's long-standing connections with the harbour.
The foresight of William Chatfield's design for the Star Boating Club Building has proved its worth. Built on skids, just three years after being erected the building was first moved via steam engine in 1889. The building was shifted again, one hundred years later, in 1989. Now on its third site, the building retains its original purpose as the clubrooms for the Star Boating Club.
While rowing is still a popular sport, only a few of the older boatsheds remain. There are presently two boatsheds included on the New Zealand Historic Places Trust Register; the Wellington Rowing Club, built in 1894 and the Wanganui Rowing Club built in 1898. The Wellington Rowing Club was not originally built for that club, and the Wanganui Rowing Club has subsequently been converted into a museum. The Canterbury Rowing Clubs building, along with those other Christchurch rowing clubs had on the river Avon are no longer standing. In Auckland, the original St George's Rowing Club building is also no longer remains.
