Why is this place significant?

DESCRIPTION20 Jan 2009 The Wellington Woollen Manufacturing Company was incorporated in June 1883 and began manufacturing operations three years later when its Petone mill was completed to a design by Thomas Turnbull. The Petone mill produced woven and knitted goods for the local market. The company's Christchurch branch appears to have begun trading about 1906/7 and several years after its new premises were completed it merged with the local Kaiapoi Woollen Manufacturing Company. Owned by the clothing manufacturing company Lichfield New Zealand between 1972 and 1986, the building was refurbished two years ago.

ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION The inner city building is four storeys high with a raised basement and partial attic level. The basement is built of concrete and in plan it is dominated by a grid of forty reinforced concrete columns which rise through the entire structure; with the exception of three which were discontinued to accommodate a light well in the centre of the building. Above the basement the building is extended by another bay at the rear, and on the ground floor this bay was originally fitted with steel roller doors. Elevators and their associated stairwells are situated in the north-west and south-west corners of the building and the lavatories are also confined to these areas. Access to the ground floor is also provided by a short staircase in the north-east corner and, like the facade, the two public stairways are lined with marble. In plan the four floors are primarily large open spaces, with few internal walls even after the recent refurbishment. A major feature of the first, second and third floors was the light well, lit by skylights in the sawtooth roof with south facing lights, but this has been 'removed' to increase the total floor space. The refurbishment, and in particular the addition of the verandah on the principal elevation, is an unfortunate compromise of the integrity of the building. As the external walls are not load-bearing the architect has been able to open up the wall surface, providing the north and south walls with generous areas of fenestration. Most importantly, the first and second floors of the principal elevation are entirely sheathed in glass, and behind this glass curtain it is possible to see the structural columns of the interior. The facade is symmetrical and reveals the construction of the building. It is designed in a stripped classical style favoured by Gummer which suggests a debt to American commercial architecture and European modernism. The tripartite composition in particular, is reminiscent of that developed by commercial architects in the United States during the 1880s and 1890s. MODIFICATIONS: 1986-7 Verandah added, basement converted to carpark, light well filled in, new suspended ceilings, general alterations. Ground floor divided in two longitudinally to provide two retail spaces.

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This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. Please note that entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero identifies only the heritage values of the property concerned, and should not be construed as advice on the state of the property, or as a comment of its soundness or safety, including in regard to earthquake risk, safety in the event of fire, or insanitary conditions.