The former Hallenstein Bros. building sits on the prominent corner of 132 Cuba street and Ghuznee street, built by Fletcher Construction Co. in 1920, and designed by the company’s architect Edwin Royden Wells. The building has historical significance for its association with Jewish immigrant Bendix Hallenstein and the New Zealand Clothing Company, later Hallenstein Brothers. This was one of New Zealand’s first local chain store businesses, established in 1873, and notable for its longstanding and continued operation. The building also has architectural significance for its stylised classical façade, contributing to the architectural and aesthetic heritage values of the Cuba Street Historic Area (List No. 7209).
Te-Whanganui-ā-Tara has a long history of Māori settlement. Early inhabitants of the Wellington area were primarily iwi of Kurahaupō waka descent. By the late eighteenth century, Ngāti Ira of Hawke’s Bay had migrated south and intermarried with Ngāi Tara. Upheaval in the 1820s and 1830s prompted taua (war parties) and heke (migration) south into Wellington. Iwi associated with these heke include Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Toa, and Ngāti Tama. In 1824, Te Aro Pā, from which this area gains its name, was built on the foreshore by Ngāti Mutunga, with Taranaki iwi and Ngāti Ruanui subsequently occupying it (List No. 7771). In 1844, a deed was signed which effectively brought Te Aro Pā into the New Zealand Company’s purchase. In 1840, William Mein Smith, company surveyor, laid out the town plan. Cuba Street itself is located on what would have been cultivation land for Te Aro Kāinga. The Hallenstein Bros building sits on the current culvert for the Waimapihi Stream, which was directed underground during the nineteenth century. The street, named for the New Zealand Company Ship which arrived in Te Whanganui-a-Tara in January 1840, began to be developed in the 1840s. The first residence and shop–a drapers–was erected in 1845.
The building was constructed during the inter-war period and is noted for its stripped, transitional architectural style. Constructed of reinforced concrete with brick masonry infill, the building is two and a half storeys, with a tall, stepped parapet. The original arrangement of the building suited the functionality of the New Zealand Clothing company factory, located on the second floor, with the fenestration allowing for maximum lighting in the work space. The large ground floor windows, featuring stained-glass leadlighting detailed with the initials ‘HB’, and front door remain of the original shopfront. The building was damaged during the 1942 Wairarapa earthquake and some reinforcement was undertaken as a result of this. The original steel framed windows were replaced in the 1960s.
Hallenstein Brothers occupied the purpose-built premises for nearly 50 years until 1967. The next tenant, Krazy Rick’s, operated a popular junk shop at the premises for 28 years. After closing in 1995, the Krazy Lounge café occupied the space until 2006 and Ernesto’s café until 2011. The building was earthquake strengthened in 2011 and, in 2017, a balcony was added to the exterior of the first floor to increase commercial space, since occupied by a cocktail lounge. The Pastaria 1154 restaurant has used the ground floor since 2017, and the roof space has been converted into a roof top bar, currently (2022) occupied by Ascot.
Te-Whanganui-ā-Tara has a long history of Māori settlement. Early inhabitants of the Wellington area were primarily iwi of Kurahaupō waka descent. By the late eighteenth century, Ngāti Ira of Hawke’s Bay had migrated south and intermarried with Ngāi Tara. Upheaval in the 1820s and 1830s prompted taua (war parties) and heke (migration) south into Wellington. Iwi associated with these heke include Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Toa, and Ngāti Tama. In 1824, Te Aro Pā, from which this area gains its name, was built on the foreshore by Ngāti Mutunga, with Taranaki iwi and Ngāti Ruanui subsequently occupying it (List No. 7771). In 1844, a deed was signed which effectively brought Te Aro Pā into the New Zealand Company’s purchase. In 1840, William Mein Smith, company surveyor, laid out the town plan. Cuba Street itself is located on what would have been cultivation land for Te Aro Kāinga. The Hallenstein Bros building sits on the current culvert for the Waimapihi Stream, which was directed underground during the nineteenth century. The street, named for the New Zealand Company Ship which arrived in Te Whanganui-a-Tara in January 1840, began to be developed in the 1840s. The first residence and shop–a drapers–was erected in 1845.
The building was constructed during the inter-war period and is noted for its stripped, transitional architectural style. Constructed of reinforced concrete with brick masonry infill, the building is two and a half storeys, with a tall, stepped parapet. The original arrangement of the building suited the functionality of the New Zealand Clothing company factory, located on the second floor, with the fenestration allowing for maximum lighting in the work space. The large ground floor windows, featuring stained-glass leadlighting detailed with the initials ‘HB’, and front door remain of the original shopfront. The building was damaged during the 1942 Wairarapa earthquake and some reinforcement was undertaken as a result of this. The original steel framed windows were replaced in the 1960s.
Hallenstein Brothers occupied the purpose-built premises for nearly 50 years until 1967. The next tenant, Krazy Rick’s, operated a popular junk shop at the premises for 28 years. After closing in 1995, the Krazy Lounge café occupied the space until 2006 and Ernesto’s café until 2011. The building was earthquake strengthened in 2011 and, in 2017, a balcony was added to the exterior of the first floor to increase commercial space, since occupied by a cocktail lounge. The Pastaria 1154 restaurant has used the ground floor since 2017, and the roof space has been converted into a roof top bar, currently (2022) occupied by Ascot.
