Erected in 1866-7, the Northern Club Building has a long history of association with the Auckland's social elite. It was constructed to be the largest hotel in the colonial city, but was instead first employed as high-status government offices before becoming a gentlemen's club two years later. Originally designed by James Wrigley, the three-storeyed building was situated in a prestigious part of the settlement, close to the former Government House and provincial council chambers. It was erected in a newly-fashionable Italianate style, the brick structure being rendered externally to appear masonry-built. The new building replaced a timber structure erected in the 1840s known as the Royal Hotel, which had itself been one of the grandest establishments in town. Initial tenants of the new premises included the Provincial Government, which rented rooms as offices, and the Auckland Institute and Museum, while part of the first floor was a British army officers' mess used by soldiers from the nearby Albert Barracks.
The Northern Club purchased the building in 1869, the club having been formed earlier in the year. Gentlemen's clubs developed in nineteenth-century Britain, enabling social and business networks to be maintained. Early members of the club included the future Prime Minister, Julius Vogel (1835-1899), and prominent businessmen, such as Thomas Russell (1830-1904) and David Nathan (1816-1886). Governors of the colony were among those invited as guests, reinforcing the exclusivity of the organisation. The club refurbished the interior, and in the process reinforced social divisions through the building's layout. Service rooms for employees were located in the basement and members' reception rooms on the ground floor, while personal servants were not allowed in the upper chambers, although exceptions were made for governors. Expansion to the facilities generally occurred during periods of economic boom. A new dining room and fifteen bedrooms were constructed at the rear of the building in 1883-1884, and accommodation for residential staff was added in the 1920s. Exclusively male in its membership for over 120 years, facilities for women were introduced only gradually. The first female member was admitted in 1990, shortly after the earliest woman after-dinner speaker, the Minister of Finance Ruth Richardson, who addressed the club in 1989.
The Northern Club Building is significant as the oldest surviving gentlemen's club in Auckland, and one of the city's earliest major surviving structures of 'commercial Italianate' design. It has strong links to early colonial institutions, such as the provincial government and British army, as well as prominent individuals in New Zealand history. It is representative of important aspects of colonial society, such as all-male associations and business networks. It demonstrates the implanting and nurturing of traditions introduced from Britain, particularly among the social elite. The building's well-preserved interiors yield information about nineteenth- and twentieth-century life in New Zealand, from the use of decor to attitudes about gender and class. The building is particularly significant for its association with other early colonial structures in the area, such as the Albert Barracks Wall and former Government House. It is the earliest building in the historic Princes Street streetscape, with significant landmark qualities that include its distinctive cover of Virginia Creeper, planted in 1927.
The Northern Club purchased the building in 1869, the club having been formed earlier in the year. Gentlemen's clubs developed in nineteenth-century Britain, enabling social and business networks to be maintained. Early members of the club included the future Prime Minister, Julius Vogel (1835-1899), and prominent businessmen, such as Thomas Russell (1830-1904) and David Nathan (1816-1886). Governors of the colony were among those invited as guests, reinforcing the exclusivity of the organisation. The club refurbished the interior, and in the process reinforced social divisions through the building's layout. Service rooms for employees were located in the basement and members' reception rooms on the ground floor, while personal servants were not allowed in the upper chambers, although exceptions were made for governors. Expansion to the facilities generally occurred during periods of economic boom. A new dining room and fifteen bedrooms were constructed at the rear of the building in 1883-1884, and accommodation for residential staff was added in the 1920s. Exclusively male in its membership for over 120 years, facilities for women were introduced only gradually. The first female member was admitted in 1990, shortly after the earliest woman after-dinner speaker, the Minister of Finance Ruth Richardson, who addressed the club in 1989.
The Northern Club Building is significant as the oldest surviving gentlemen's club in Auckland, and one of the city's earliest major surviving structures of 'commercial Italianate' design. It has strong links to early colonial institutions, such as the provincial government and British army, as well as prominent individuals in New Zealand history. It is representative of important aspects of colonial society, such as all-male associations and business networks. It demonstrates the implanting and nurturing of traditions introduced from Britain, particularly among the social elite. The building's well-preserved interiors yield information about nineteenth- and twentieth-century life in New Zealand, from the use of decor to attitudes about gender and class. The building is particularly significant for its association with other early colonial structures in the area, such as the Albert Barracks Wall and former Government House. It is the earliest building in the historic Princes Street streetscape, with significant landmark qualities that include its distinctive cover of Virginia Creeper, planted in 1927.
