Residents originally disliked the design of the Takaka Post Office, built in 1900, but it is now seen as an important historical feature of the town.
The first Takaka Post Office was opened on 1 January 1861. It closed on 1 January 1876 when facilities were moved to Waitapu. The second Takaka Post Office was erected on 1 April 1881, when it was decided that better postal facilities were needed in the area. Eight years later, in 1889, the Government set aside £400 for the third Takaka Post Office and a postmaster's residence. The plans were drawn up by the Public Works Office and amended by John Campbell (1857-1942) in December 1899. The building was completed in July of 1900 and cost just under £500.
The building was one of the first to be amended by Campbell in his newly created position as the Public Works Department's 'Government Architect', a position established that same year in 1899. He held this position until his retirement in 1922. Campbell and the Public Works Department were responsible for the design of many post office buildings between the late nineteenth century and World War I. The Takaka Post Office is a simple and small-scale example of Campbell's post offices, though it does incorporate elements such as a grand central gable, hipped roof and symmetrical street façade, which were used frequently in his series of post-office buildings.
The Takaka Post Office is a single storied building with a hipped roof and large gable on the street (eastern) façade. The gable extends to form a canopy over the entrance and postal lobby. On either side of the gable is a symmetrically placed, double hung sash window with a decorative apron and moulded eaves brackets attached to its architrave. The north and south façades have window treatment identical to that of the street façade. The floor plan has the office section at the front of the building and a family residence at the back. At some point before 1990, an extension was made to the western side of the building. In 1990 the building was restored by the Takaka Museum and Cultural Society. This involved internal alterations, including the realignment of some walls.
During the economic changes of the late 1980s the public postal system was corporatized. In 1987 three private organisations, Telecom, Postbank, and New Zealand Post, were established. At the same time the Takaka Post Office was closed, and the town's postal services were transferred to the postmaster's house next door. In 1989 the Tasman District Council, then the Golden Bay County Council, brought the Takaka Post Office on behalf of the Takaka Museum and Cultural Society, who planned to restore it and use it as a museum. However, in an effort to respect the architectural integrity of the building it was decided not to modify it for a museum. Instead it was converted into an art gallery, which opened as the Golden Bay Gallery in December 1991.
The Takaka Post Office has both architectural and historical significance. John Campbell, the first architect to hold the position of Government Architect, designed the Post Office at the start of a post office building boom. It was one of his earlier designs and lacks the extravagance of some of his later work, though it still has design details worthy of note, such as the moulded eaves and the grand gable entrance to the building. The Takaka Post Office has historical significance as it served the Takaka community from 1900-1987 and is associated with the development of the town and the surrounding area.
The first Takaka Post Office was opened on 1 January 1861. It closed on 1 January 1876 when facilities were moved to Waitapu. The second Takaka Post Office was erected on 1 April 1881, when it was decided that better postal facilities were needed in the area. Eight years later, in 1889, the Government set aside £400 for the third Takaka Post Office and a postmaster's residence. The plans were drawn up by the Public Works Office and amended by John Campbell (1857-1942) in December 1899. The building was completed in July of 1900 and cost just under £500.
The building was one of the first to be amended by Campbell in his newly created position as the Public Works Department's 'Government Architect', a position established that same year in 1899. He held this position until his retirement in 1922. Campbell and the Public Works Department were responsible for the design of many post office buildings between the late nineteenth century and World War I. The Takaka Post Office is a simple and small-scale example of Campbell's post offices, though it does incorporate elements such as a grand central gable, hipped roof and symmetrical street façade, which were used frequently in his series of post-office buildings.
The Takaka Post Office is a single storied building with a hipped roof and large gable on the street (eastern) façade. The gable extends to form a canopy over the entrance and postal lobby. On either side of the gable is a symmetrically placed, double hung sash window with a decorative apron and moulded eaves brackets attached to its architrave. The north and south façades have window treatment identical to that of the street façade. The floor plan has the office section at the front of the building and a family residence at the back. At some point before 1990, an extension was made to the western side of the building. In 1990 the building was restored by the Takaka Museum and Cultural Society. This involved internal alterations, including the realignment of some walls.
During the economic changes of the late 1980s the public postal system was corporatized. In 1987 three private organisations, Telecom, Postbank, and New Zealand Post, were established. At the same time the Takaka Post Office was closed, and the town's postal services were transferred to the postmaster's house next door. In 1989 the Tasman District Council, then the Golden Bay County Council, brought the Takaka Post Office on behalf of the Takaka Museum and Cultural Society, who planned to restore it and use it as a museum. However, in an effort to respect the architectural integrity of the building it was decided not to modify it for a museum. Instead it was converted into an art gallery, which opened as the Golden Bay Gallery in December 1991.
The Takaka Post Office has both architectural and historical significance. John Campbell, the first architect to hold the position of Government Architect, designed the Post Office at the start of a post office building boom. It was one of his earlier designs and lacks the extravagance of some of his later work, though it still has design details worthy of note, such as the moulded eaves and the grand gable entrance to the building. The Takaka Post Office has historical significance as it served the Takaka community from 1900-1987 and is associated with the development of the town and the surrounding area.
