Dunedin’s New Zealand Express Company Building (Former), designed by Christchurch architects Sidney and Alfred Luttrell and built between 1908 and 1910, was New Zealand’s first skyscraper. It has architectural, aesthetic, historical and technological significance.
The New Zealand Express Company had its origins in Dunedin’s Campbell and Crust carrying company formed in 1867. In 1879, the company was renamed The New Zealand Express Company, at which time they took on the task of collecting and forwarding goods and parcels at varying rates. From Dunedin, the company extended to Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland, eventually having branches in most significant towns. By the twentieth century it was one of the country’s largest employers.
The company’s status was reflected in its office buildings – its 1905 Christchurch branch, and its 1908 Dunedin headquarters. The Dunedin site was a challenge because it was on reclaimed land, with the architects designing the building to float on a ferro-concrete raft foundation to support its reinforced concrete structural frame. It was the first building in New Zealand to make use of pre-cast concrete slabs constructed off-site, which is now a common technique.
The building represents the end of Dunedin's Victorian architectural era both in terms of its appearance and its construction techniques. At the time it was built it was Dunedin’s tallest building. It was New Zealand’s first 'skyscraper' and dominated the Dunedin skyline for 27 years. The building is well proportioned and has a Chicago Romanesque façade with oriel windows between the first and fifth storeys, columns and carved capitals. It was also one of the first buildings in New Zealand to be inspired by the Chicago style of architecture. The contractor, Charles Fleming McDonald, applied advanced techniques not previously used in New Zealand, including the use of pre-cast reinforced concrete slabs manufactured off the site. Built in the year Dunedin gained electrical power, it was the first major building in the city for which concrete mixing and hoisting were electrically powered.
Originally the building was used as offices for New Zealand Express Company, with sample rooms for commercial travellers on the sixth storey. Several other businesses operated in the building. One of them was the Dunedin Stock Exchange, which moved into the building in 1968. Another was A.H. Reed, the publisher and bookseller. The Express Company later merged with other companies and abandoned its name.
In 1971 the building was sold to MFL Mutual Funds, and became known by that name. MFL Mutual Funds is a superannuation scheme established in 1969 as a convenient way to help investors save for their retirement. After several changes of ownership in the 1980s and the 1990s, the premises became known as Consultancy House. In 2018, the former New Zealand Express Company Building largely provides office space for a range of tenants but has apartments on the top floor.
The New Zealand Express Company had its origins in Dunedin’s Campbell and Crust carrying company formed in 1867. In 1879, the company was renamed The New Zealand Express Company, at which time they took on the task of collecting and forwarding goods and parcels at varying rates. From Dunedin, the company extended to Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland, eventually having branches in most significant towns. By the twentieth century it was one of the country’s largest employers.
The company’s status was reflected in its office buildings – its 1905 Christchurch branch, and its 1908 Dunedin headquarters. The Dunedin site was a challenge because it was on reclaimed land, with the architects designing the building to float on a ferro-concrete raft foundation to support its reinforced concrete structural frame. It was the first building in New Zealand to make use of pre-cast concrete slabs constructed off-site, which is now a common technique.
The building represents the end of Dunedin's Victorian architectural era both in terms of its appearance and its construction techniques. At the time it was built it was Dunedin’s tallest building. It was New Zealand’s first 'skyscraper' and dominated the Dunedin skyline for 27 years. The building is well proportioned and has a Chicago Romanesque façade with oriel windows between the first and fifth storeys, columns and carved capitals. It was also one of the first buildings in New Zealand to be inspired by the Chicago style of architecture. The contractor, Charles Fleming McDonald, applied advanced techniques not previously used in New Zealand, including the use of pre-cast reinforced concrete slabs manufactured off the site. Built in the year Dunedin gained electrical power, it was the first major building in the city for which concrete mixing and hoisting were electrically powered.
Originally the building was used as offices for New Zealand Express Company, with sample rooms for commercial travellers on the sixth storey. Several other businesses operated in the building. One of them was the Dunedin Stock Exchange, which moved into the building in 1968. Another was A.H. Reed, the publisher and bookseller. The Express Company later merged with other companies and abandoned its name.
In 1971 the building was sold to MFL Mutual Funds, and became known by that name. MFL Mutual Funds is a superannuation scheme established in 1969 as a convenient way to help investors save for their retirement. After several changes of ownership in the 1980s and the 1990s, the premises became known as Consultancy House. In 2018, the former New Zealand Express Company Building largely provides office space for a range of tenants but has apartments on the top floor.
