The Berry & Co. Photographers Building was built in 1900 by W.L. Thompson and designed by notable architect William Crichton. It has architectural value for its Classical Edwardian style and contribution to the streetscape of the Cuba Street Historic Area (List No. 7209). It also has historical significance due to its association with the Berry & Co photography company and the social history that has been captured through their surviving photographs, as well as its tenure as the gallery premises of significant art dealer Peter McLeavey.

Early inhabitants of Te Whanganui-ā-Tara 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 (List No. 7771) was built on the foreshore by Ngāti Mutunga, with Taranaki iwi and Ngāti Ruanui subsequently occupying it. 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 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.

Prior to this building being erected, the location had been occupied by three other photography companies. It was bought by William Berry in the late 1890s and a new building, purpose-built for his photography studio, is what currently stands at this location. It has an Edwardian Classical façade. The spandrel of the lower windows has decorative leaves (or rinceaux); the windows themselves are recessed into wide arches and have leadlight details on the upper panels. The third-floor sash-windows, two groups of three, are divided by ionic order colonettes and flanked by long pilasters on either side. Other details include string courses that run across the façade, an aedicule in the centre of the facade inscribed with ‘1900’, and an entablature displaying the words ‘Berry & Co. Photographers’. The building was designed with photography in mind, the fenestration of south-facing windows allowing ideal lighting. A skylight was used to increase the amount of natural light in the studio. The original parapet was removed after the 1942 Wairarapa earthquake.

William Berry operated Berry & Co. Photographers on Cuba Street until 1925, specialising in portrait photography. In the 1990s, around 3,000 glass plate negatives were discovered in a cupboard of the building. These photographs provide an important perspective into New Zealand’s social history, fashions and trends. Almost 80 photographs of World War I servicemen posing in uniform and with their whānau were found. The photographs would have been keepsakes of loved ones during the war. Another important collection found within these negatives is the nearly 100 surviving portraits of Chinese New Zealanders. At the time these photographs were taken in the 1920s and early 1930s, anti-Chinese sentiments were high— the infamous poll tax instituted in 1881 was still in force. These photos are an important connection to these individuals, who often had to leave their family behind to immigrate to New Zealand. Research has been undertaken to try and identify these individuals.

From 1910 to the 1990s, the ground floor was occupied by various Chinese fruiterers. The upper floors stayed a photography studio, with Henri Harrison and later, the Cuba Studios Photographers, occupying the space during the 1930s and 1940s. Peter McLeavey, a pioneering art dealer, opened an art gallery on the second floor in 1968. The space showcased a number of influential and diverse New Zealand artists, including Colin McCahon and Toss Woollaston. It is currently being run by his daughter, Olivia, and is Wellington’s longest-running dealer gallery. As of 2022, a liquor store and sandwich shop occupy the ground floor and an art gallery on the second floor.