The Union Bank was one of the earliest banks to open in New Zealand, its first branch established in Petone, shifting to Wellington when the city was surveyed. Its Dunedin branch opened in 1857, one of many throughout the country. The Union Bank of Australia opened in Oamaru in 1873, with its first premises on Tyne Street. By 1877, there were plans for ‘new and handsome premises.’ Forrester designed the new premises in Venetian style, a style, art historian Conal McCarthy writes, was ‘entirely appropriate for a building of that function because of the role Venice had played as a financial centre.’
The Union Bank of Australia has two storeys and is built of Oamaru stone. McCarthy writes that it is one of the earliest examples of the Venetian Palazzo style. The ornate detailing includes balustrades and flanking colonettes added to the first floor windows, and a balustrade and scroll on the parapet (now removed). The decorative detailing results in a strong play of light and shade, and the elaborate façade reflects the prosperity of Oamaru in the 1870s. The building was in strong contrast to its then neighbour, the Bank of New Zealand built in 1865 (and since demolished), illustrating the commercial rivalry and the town’s wealth. The Union Bank was to influence subsequent bank designs.
The bank looks to have closed in the 1920s. John Moore of Oamaru bought the land in 1927. In the 1930s, after Moore’s death the building was owned by Raymond Gibb and Robert Milligan. They sold the land to the Oamaru Squash and Badminton Club in 1957. The Union Bank of Australia merged with the Bank of Australasia to form the ANZ Bank in 1951. In 2015, the building remains home to the Oamaru Squash and Badminton Club.
List Entry Information
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 1
Access
Private/No Public Access
List Number
2306
Date Entered
2nd July 1987
Date of Effect
2nd July 1987
City/District Council
Waitaki District
Region
Otago Region
Extent of List Entry
Extent includes the land described as Secs 7-8 Blk III Town of Oamaru (RT OT5A/805), Otago Land District, and the building associated with the Union Bank of Australia (Former) thereon.
Legal description
Secs 7-8 Blk III Town of Oamaru (RT OT5A/805), Otago Land District
Location Description
CT 5A/805 as per Heritage Covenant 1999.
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 1
Access
Private/No Public Access
List Number
2306
Date Entered
2nd July 1987
Date of Effect
2nd July 1987
City/District Council
Waitaki District
Region
Otago Region
Extent of List Entry
Extent includes the land described as Secs 7-8 Blk III Town of Oamaru (RT OT5A/805), Otago Land District, and the building associated with the Union Bank of Australia (Former) thereon.
Legal description
Secs 7-8 Blk III Town of Oamaru (RT OT5A/805), Otago Land District
Location Description
CT 5A/805 as per Heritage Covenant 1999.
Why is this place significant?
Historic Significance
Historical Significance or Value The Union Bank (the forerunner of the ANZ Bank) was established in Tyne Street in 1873. The opulent appearance of the building was a symbol of Oamaru's growing prosperity and an example of commercial rivalry existing between the banks in the town.
Physical Significance
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE Despite its alterations and additions, this building is notable for its superb façade. It is a major work by Forrester and one of the first examples of the Venetian palazzo style of commercial architecture in New Zealand. Mason and Clayton's Bank of New Zealand (1865) now demolished, was sited immediately adjacent to the Union Bank in Tyne Street which at that time formed the commercial heart of the town. TOWNSCAPE/LANDMARK SIGNIFICANCE The building is included in the Harbour/Tyne Street Conservation Area but its immediate environment has been marred somewhat by unsympathetic additions.
Why is this place significant?
Historic Significance
Historical Significance or Value The Union Bank (the forerunner of the ANZ Bank) was established in Tyne Street in 1873. The opulent appearance of the building was a symbol of Oamaru's growing prosperity and an example of commercial rivalry existing between the banks in the town.
Physical Significance
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE Despite its alterations and additions, this building is notable for its superb façade. It is a major work by Forrester and one of the first examples of the Venetian palazzo style of commercial architecture in New Zealand. Mason and Clayton's Bank of New Zealand (1865) now demolished, was sited immediately adjacent to the Union Bank in Tyne Street which at that time formed the commercial heart of the town. TOWNSCAPE/LANDMARK SIGNIFICANCE The building is included in the Harbour/Tyne Street Conservation Area but its immediate environment has been marred somewhat by unsympathetic additions.
Construction Professional
Name
Forrester & Lemon
Type
Architectural Partnership
Biography
The architectural partnership of Forrester and Lemon was established in Oamaru in 1872. Thomas Forrester (1838-1907) was born in Glasgow and educated at the Glasgow School of Art. Emigrating to New Zealand in 1861 he settled in Dunedin and worked under William Mason (1810-97) and William Henry Clayton (1823-77) and later Robert Arthur Lawson (1833-1902). In 1865 he superintended the Dunedin Exhibition and from 1870 he became involved with the supervision of harbour works. Some time after 1885 he became Engineer to the Oamaru Harbour Board and in this capacity designed the repairs to the breakwater following storm damage in 1886 and later the Holmes Wharf. On his death in 1907 he was still in the employ of the Harbour Board. John Lemon (1828-1890) was born in Jamaica and travelled to England before emigrating to New Zealand in 1849. He settled in Oamaru in 1860 and with his brother Charles established a timber merchant's business. By 1869 he was in partnership with his father-in-law, George Sumpter calling themselves "Timber and General Merchants, Land and Commission Agents". This partnership was dissolved in 1872 and Lemon entered into partnership with Forrester. Lemon had no architectural experience at all, but had a wide circle of business contacts and was an efficient administrator. Buildings designed by the partnership of Forrester and Lemon include St Paul's Church (1875-76), the Harbour Board Offices (1876), Queen's (later Brydone) Hotel (1881), Waitaki Boys' High School (1883), The Courthouse (1883) and the Post Office (1883-84), all in Oamaru. Forrester and Lemon contributed greatly to Oamaru's nineteenth century character. On Lemon's death in 1890 the practice was taken over by Forrester's son, John Megget Forrester (1865-1965).
Construction Details
Start Year
1878
Type
Original Construction
Start Year
1879
Type
Other
Description
6 February – Union Bank opened
Type
Addition
Description
Concrete Block addition
Period
1970s
Construction Materials
Oamaru stone
Notable Features
High quality exterior ornamentation carved in Oamaru stone.
Construction Professional
Name
Forrester & Lemon
Type
Architectural Partnership
Biography
The architectural partnership of Forrester and Lemon was established in Oamaru in 1872. Thomas Forrester (1838-1907) was born in Glasgow and educated at the Glasgow School of Art. Emigrating to New Zealand in 1861 he settled in Dunedin and worked under William Mason (1810-97) and William Henry Clayton (1823-77) and later Robert Arthur Lawson (1833-1902). In 1865 he superintended the Dunedin Exhibition and from 1870 he became involved with the supervision of harbour works. Some time after 1885 he became Engineer to the Oamaru Harbour Board and in this capacity designed the repairs to the breakwater following storm damage in 1886 and later the Holmes Wharf. On his death in 1907 he was still in the employ of the Harbour Board. John Lemon (1828-1890) was born in Jamaica and travelled to England before emigrating to New Zealand in 1849. He settled in Oamaru in 1860 and with his brother Charles established a timber merchant's business. By 1869 he was in partnership with his father-in-law, George Sumpter calling themselves "Timber and General Merchants, Land and Commission Agents". This partnership was dissolved in 1872 and Lemon entered into partnership with Forrester. Lemon had no architectural experience at all, but had a wide circle of business contacts and was an efficient administrator. Buildings designed by the partnership of Forrester and Lemon include St Paul's Church (1875-76), the Harbour Board Offices (1876), Queen's (later Brydone) Hotel (1881), Waitaki Boys' High School (1883), The Courthouse (1883) and the Post Office (1883-84), all in Oamaru. Forrester and Lemon contributed greatly to Oamaru's nineteenth century character. On Lemon's death in 1890 the practice was taken over by Forrester's son, John Megget Forrester (1865-1965).
Construction Details
Start Year
1878
Type
Original Construction
Start Year
1879
Type
Other
Description
6 February – Union Bank opened
Type
Addition
Description
Concrete Block addition
Period
1970s
Construction Materials
Oamaru stone
Notable Features
High quality exterior ornamentation carved in Oamaru stone.
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION (Style) A lavish Victorian Italianate building with Venetian features. First floor has a detached Corinthian colonnade flanking round-headed windows. The windows have balustrades and flanking colonettes. The ground floor is heavily rusticated creating a monumental effect. MODIFICATIONS The original parapet and other top hamper has been removed. Three ground floor windows and the doorway have been blocked in. An unsympathetic addition has been made to the building's left side.
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION (Style) A lavish Victorian Italianate building with Venetian features. First floor has a detached Corinthian colonnade flanking round-headed windows. The windows have balustrades and flanking colonettes. The ground floor is heavily rusticated creating a monumental effect. MODIFICATIONS The original parapet and other top hamper has been removed. Three ground floor windows and the doorway have been blocked in. An unsympathetic addition has been made to the building's left side.
Historical and Associated Iwi / Hapū / Whānau
Completion Date
9th September 2015
Report Written By
Heather Bauchop
Information Sources
McCarthy, 2002
Conal McCarthy, Forrester and Lemon of Oamaru, architects, Oamaru, 2002
Oamaru Borough Council
Historic Building Catalogue
Other Information
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. A fully referenced upgrade report is available on request from the Otago/Southland Office of Heritage New Zealand
Historical and Associated Iwi / Hapū / Whānau
Completion Date
9th September 2015
Report Written By
Heather Bauchop
Information Sources
McCarthy, 2002
Conal McCarthy, Forrester and Lemon of Oamaru, architects, Oamaru, 2002
Oamaru Borough Council
Historic Building Catalogue
Other Information
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. A fully referenced upgrade report is available on request from the Otago/Southland Office of Heritage New Zealand
Current Usages
Uses: Civic Facilities
Specific Usage: Club rooms/building
Former Usages
General Usage: Finance
Specific Usage: Bank
Current Usages
Uses: Civic Facilities
Specific Usage: Club rooms/building
Former Usages
General Usage: Finance
Specific Usage: Bank
Stay up to date with Heritage this month
