Following a devastating flood, the University of Otago Union Street Bridge was built in 1924 after the original bridge was damaged. The bridge complements the early University of Otago buildings which flank each side of Ōwheo, the Water of the Leith. It has architectural and historical significance.
Iwi history and archaeological evidence show Māori occupation in the Ōtākou / Otago region since the 12th century. Today, Kāi Tahu mana whenua is recognised over a large part of Te Wai Pounamu. Kāti Māmoe and Waitaha shared occupation are always acknowledged. The hapū Kai Te Pahi, Kāti Moki, and Kāti Taoka still maintain their presence and responsibility as kaitiaki in this region. Traditional Māori place names include Ōwheo (the Water of Leith), a river that runs directly in front of the Clock Tower building and though campus, would have facilitated travel by waka from the coast to places further inland and the mouth of Ōwheo, known as Te Tutai o Te Matauira, was likely a valuable settlement area for accessing kaimoana and other resources. Roberts (1909) states that Ōwheo, the name of a Kāti Māmoe chief, resided on the bank of the river where Howe Street joins Leith Street.
The Otago Provincial Council established New Zealand’s first university in 1869. By 1877 the University had outgrown that space and requested the government for use of the northern half of the land assigned for botanical gardens which was granted.
The complex of university buildings built between 1878 and the 1920s constitutes a major example of nineteenth and early twentieth century gothic in New Zealand. Architect Maxwell Bury (1825-1912) won the competition for the design of the Clock Tower (List No. 62) and Geology (List No. 4765) Professorial Houses (List No. 4406) buildings for the University of Otago in 1877. Architect Edmund Anscombe (1874-1948) followed the style set by Bury as the campus continued to grow over the decades.
The Union Street bridge was constructed in 1924 and replaced an earlier timber one which was damaged by the large flooding event in 1923. Although the bridge is now used solely by pedestrians, this portion of Union Street was originally constructed as a road bridge. The surrounding concrete walls were also built to connect to the bridge as permanent protection against further water encroachment.
The Dunedin City Council Departmental Reports for 1923-1924 details the materials used for the bridge:
“The new Bridge, now in course of construction, has a span between abutments of 40 feet (12 m). The deck is to be of 24 inch steel beams and concrete, and the balustrade piers of squared bluestone and sandstone with iron railing. The bridge is to be faced on each side by an arch of squared bluestone to harmonise with the University buildings alongside”.
John Hodson and Co. received the contract for the construction work. He sublet the masonry construction to HS Bingham and Co. Ltd. Hodson then further developed a Co-Operative Working Party to complete the bridge in April 1924. The bridge received its fair share of criticism when it was under construction with members of the community believing it to be an overly costly structure.
The bridge with its stone facings and decorative iron railings is particularly attractive. The span forms a pointed arch, which combined with the gable-topped balustrade piers, gives the bridge a gothic look. At either end of the bridge, where the abutments are, the balustrade piers are capped with fleur-de-lis finnials.
The portion of Union Street containing the bridge was closed to road traffic in 1973 as part of the plan to make the University of Otago campus traffic free. A public sculpture, Crown:Land:Crown by David McLeod (1992) was moved to the bridge in 2016. On the east side of the Water of the Leith is a Memorial Walk dedicated to those members of the University of Otago who served in the Great War which is acknowledged with a plaque.
Iwi history and archaeological evidence show Māori occupation in the Ōtākou / Otago region since the 12th century. Today, Kāi Tahu mana whenua is recognised over a large part of Te Wai Pounamu. Kāti Māmoe and Waitaha shared occupation are always acknowledged. The hapū Kai Te Pahi, Kāti Moki, and Kāti Taoka still maintain their presence and responsibility as kaitiaki in this region. Traditional Māori place names include Ōwheo (the Water of Leith), a river that runs directly in front of the Clock Tower building and though campus, would have facilitated travel by waka from the coast to places further inland and the mouth of Ōwheo, known as Te Tutai o Te Matauira, was likely a valuable settlement area for accessing kaimoana and other resources. Roberts (1909) states that Ōwheo, the name of a Kāti Māmoe chief, resided on the bank of the river where Howe Street joins Leith Street.
The Otago Provincial Council established New Zealand’s first university in 1869. By 1877 the University had outgrown that space and requested the government for use of the northern half of the land assigned for botanical gardens which was granted.
The complex of university buildings built between 1878 and the 1920s constitutes a major example of nineteenth and early twentieth century gothic in New Zealand. Architect Maxwell Bury (1825-1912) won the competition for the design of the Clock Tower (List No. 62) and Geology (List No. 4765) Professorial Houses (List No. 4406) buildings for the University of Otago in 1877. Architect Edmund Anscombe (1874-1948) followed the style set by Bury as the campus continued to grow over the decades.
The Union Street bridge was constructed in 1924 and replaced an earlier timber one which was damaged by the large flooding event in 1923. Although the bridge is now used solely by pedestrians, this portion of Union Street was originally constructed as a road bridge. The surrounding concrete walls were also built to connect to the bridge as permanent protection against further water encroachment.
The Dunedin City Council Departmental Reports for 1923-1924 details the materials used for the bridge:
“The new Bridge, now in course of construction, has a span between abutments of 40 feet (12 m). The deck is to be of 24 inch steel beams and concrete, and the balustrade piers of squared bluestone and sandstone with iron railing. The bridge is to be faced on each side by an arch of squared bluestone to harmonise with the University buildings alongside”.
John Hodson and Co. received the contract for the construction work. He sublet the masonry construction to HS Bingham and Co. Ltd. Hodson then further developed a Co-Operative Working Party to complete the bridge in April 1924. The bridge received its fair share of criticism when it was under construction with members of the community believing it to be an overly costly structure.
The bridge with its stone facings and decorative iron railings is particularly attractive. The span forms a pointed arch, which combined with the gable-topped balustrade piers, gives the bridge a gothic look. At either end of the bridge, where the abutments are, the balustrade piers are capped with fleur-de-lis finnials.
The portion of Union Street containing the bridge was closed to road traffic in 1973 as part of the plan to make the University of Otago campus traffic free. A public sculpture, Crown:Land:Crown by David McLeod (1992) was moved to the bridge in 2016. On the east side of the Water of the Leith is a Memorial Walk dedicated to those members of the University of Otago who served in the Great War which is acknowledged with a plaque.
