The first grand purpose-built Post Office building had been William Mason's 1864 Chief Post Office, more commonly known as the Stock Exchange Building. Funded by the General Government it was built after the style of St Martin's Le Grande in London. It was never used as a Post Office and was handed over to the University of Otago with the south gallery used as a museum. In the later part of the nineteenth century it housed the Colonial Bank (later the Bank of New Zealand). In 1900 it was purchased by the Stock Exchange Company. This, Dunedin's first purpose built Post Office, was demolished to make way for Wickliffe House in the late 1960s. Postal services in Dunedin in the nineteenth century were somewhat nomadic, with no central premises until the late 1930s. With the abandonment of the system of Provincial Government in the 1870s, the Post and Telegraph operations were shifted to the former Provincial Government premises. The Provincial Government building was used as the Chief Post Office from the 1870s until around 1915. The Post Office shifted from the Provincial Government buildings to the Garrison Hall on Dowling Street in early 1916. John Campbell, the Government Architect, apparently drew up plans for a new Chief Post Office in 1916, but these plans were never built. The District Engineer stated in 1923 that the plans proposed for the new building on the Princes Street site, were found to be unsuitable, and would require so much modification that an entirely new plan needed to be drawn. Cabinet approval was needed before new plans could be begun. In the meantime the Provincial Government building was inspected to ascertain its safety and suitability to continue to house the various departments. A committee made up of H.H. Sharp from the Post and Telegraph Department, John Mair of the Education Department (soon to be Government Architect), and G.W. Simpson, a builder, found that contrary to public complaints, the building was 'thoroughly sound and inherently stable.' The committee described it as well built with its timber and masonry in fine condition. Problems with the building resulted from poor maintenance, with water damage from the leaking slate roof being the main problem. The building was, the committee considered, suitable for Government purposes. Dunedin citizens did not consider the building suitable. In 1923 a deputation 'representative of every class in the community' met the Prime Minister Right Hon. Mr Massey in the Council Chambers of the Town Hall, to demand the construction of a new Post Office. The Prime Minister stated that it was evident that Dunedin badly wanted a Post Office, but that the financial situation meant that it would take a year to get the money together. In May 1926 the Otago Expansion League made further approaches to the Government presenting a request for the removal of the old buildings and the erection of new buildings on the site. They considered that for ten years the Postal Department had occupied a building that was acknowledged as only makeshift. They argued that the 'various government departments were scattered all over the city, and in the interests of economy as many as possible of these departments should be accommodated under one roof. However, what they were concerned about chiefly was the demolition of the old post office and the erection of a new building on the site. The old building was an eyesore, and should be removed as soon as possible. Some of them were afraid that the renovation of the building, which had been carried out prior to the opening of the Exhibition, was an indication of prolonged tenure.' The mayor considered that postal workers were working under difficult conditions. The Prime Minister reported that plans and specifications were being prepared, and hoped the building would be begun the following year, after the alternatives were worked through. He said there were alternative schemes, housing the Post and Telegraph Department in one building at a cost of around £100,000, or to have a 'more pretentious building' to accommodate all the government departments, at a greater cost. Plans were being drafted for both options, and a contract would be let for the building before the end of the current financial year unless 'something cropped up.' In 1926 work was further delayed when the Government Architect was instructed by the Prime Minister to concentrate on plans for Parliament Buildings in Wellington. Tenders for the Dunedin Chief Post Office were to be delayed for at least another year. In May 1927 there was another deputation to the Minister outlining the delays and frustration of the population. There were rumours that instructions had been given to discontinue the work on plans for the new building. Dunedin had been calling for a new Post Office since 1919, and patience was getting short. The Otago Witness described a 'squall of intense, if not actually angry, discussion'; citizen's patience had been 'tried overmuch.' The Otago Expansion League had entered correspondence with William Downie Stewart, Minister of Finance and member for Dunedin West, asking for fulfilment of previous promises. Downie Stewart replied that he had had discussions with the Postmaster-General, who had stated that the Government Architect was preparing plans and specifications for the work. Tenders were to be invited when the financial position permitted. Given previous assurances that work was progressing, members of the League considered this reply to be an 'insult to the intelligence of the community.' In October 1927 William Downie Stewart released a telegram from W. Nostworthy, the Postmaster-General, stating that it was hoped to vacate the Princes Street building by the end of the month, and after which arrangements would be made for the demolition of the building. The new building was to be the maximum height permitted by the by-laws - 'a handsome structure of steel and concrete, with appropriate facing material.' There were signs of movement in 1928 with the demolition of the old Provincial Government Buildings (which had housed the post office prior to 1916). The Public Works Department accepted the tender of Messrs White and Co for the purchase and removal of the building. The contractors were to get any usable building material, while the rest was to be dumped for fill, free of charge to the Public Works Department at certain government sections. Public opinion concerning the internal wood panelling work was canvassed in 1928. Samples of wood for panelling were displayed in the Princes Street window of Whitcombe and Tombs, but there was no feedback. The sample was then submitted to a number of builders - with the builders considering New Zealand mahogany (Kohekohe) superior to figured rimu, oak, or Queensland maple. Southern saw millers advocated the use of Southern Beech. In addition to the Post and Telegraph Department, the new building was also to be home of various Government Departments (Agriculture, Customs, Health, Land and Income Tax, Lands and Survey, Land Transfer, Marketing, Audit, Public Works, Stamp Duties, State Advance, Transport, Treasury, and the Valuation Office). These departments were the 'nerve centres of their industrial trading, and private lives, and it would now be possible to handle the increased and growing business with even greater efficiency and despatch than in the past, and permit the departments concerned to arrive at one further stage of excellence in the public service.' Other departments were excluded from the new building on the basis of their function requiring ground floor accommodation. By 1929 problems with the foundations were being resolved. William Downie Stewart wrote that the plans for the buildings were complete, with the exception of the foundations. The foundation plans would be completed following extensive testing of the ground, and then a method for building the foundations would be adopted. In August 1929 the necessary plant for driving the piles had arrived and the preparatory work was 'going steadily.' A.T. Craven, fresh from supervising the Pareora Bridge on the Dunedin-Christchurch highway, oversaw the erection of the foundations. The building was to be built on the very edge of the original high water mark, where the underlying rock shelves sloped steeply toward the harbour. A floating raft was employed for the foundations. In late 1929 all was ready for the construction of the raft. Excavation and pile driving was undertaken in March 1930, with work on waterproofing the deeper portion of the basement at Liverpool and Bond Street beginning soon after. The occurrence of boulders made pile driving difficult - with the occasional pile omitted where the boulders prevented the piles being pitched. The 1730 timber piles came from Messrs Chisholm and Bentley from Five Rivers in Southland. Delays continued, however. In July 1932 Dunedin's Mayor once again urged the government to begin the immediate construction of the buildings to accommodate the Post Office and other government departments. Residents had been willing to put up with the current arrangements because of the economic situation, but would probably support the erection of the building under a subsidy plan devised by the Unemployment Board. Local men would be able to use their trade during the economic downturn. There was opposition to the idea of state subsidy of workers - James Fletcher, of Fletcher Construction who were in 1933 to win the tender for the new building, considered that subsidised work was overmanned and incompetently supervised. He estimated that around £100,000 would be spent in direct and indirect wages on the post office structure if subsidised workers were used. The excavated foundations were a reminder of the stalled work. Money had already been spent, yet the building was not progressing. The Postmaster-General wrote reassuring Dunedin that the project was delayed, not abandoned. Meanwhile the water-filled foundations were known as the 'duck pond' and the 'swimming pool' by students. For some the Post Office was a matter of civic pride. Arthur Paape wrote that Auckland had its palatial railway station, there was the National Memorial at Mt Cook in Wellington, and Christchurch had a fine second Post Office recently opened. The money spent on the foundations in Dunedin was a 'blemish to the city' and Dunedin wanted a fair deal - the completion of the Post Office. Dunedin citizens were keen for construction to continue - arguing that it would provide local employment and a stimulus for local businesses. There was some local opposition, arguing that the building was a waste of money during the Depression, and would be 'another monument to Government waste and extravagance.' Delays were extended with the economic downturn of the 1930s, which restricted the building programme of the Post and Telegraph Department. The Departmental Report in 1932-33 stated that although authority was obtained for the erection of several large buildings, it was found necessary for financial reasons to defer the works. Tenders were called for the Dunedin CPO, but were withdrawn before a date was fixed for their receipt. Other postal buildings went ahead, for example the eight-storey Wellington East Post Office, which was completed 10 June 1932. With the restart of many delayed works , the construction of the Dunedin CPO was finally approved in 1933, and the contract was let for construction. The new Post Office was described as a 'work of some magnitude.' There were some unusual features in its structural design, resulting from consultation with earthquake engineers. The steel and concrete building, which occupied a whole city block, was to be specially strengthened against earthquakes. It was faced with New Zealand stone, the lower part with granite, the upper part with a lighter coloured stone. The whole of the window frames facing on to the four street elevations were to be made of solid bronze, and the design was to be relieved by solid cast bronze panels. The interior, also of 'severely plain conception', had many interesting features, including the use of marble and bronze with a wood finish in selected New Zealand timbers. Mr Fletcher, who won the tender, considered that the plans and details submitted to the tenderers were the most complete that his firm had ever tendered on. The work was to be completed in three years The contract involved a considerable amount of steel - an order for over 2,600 tons was to be placed in England. Local suppliers also benefited. An order for 10,000 yards of crushed metal gave impetus to local quarries, 4000 tons of cement were to be drawn from local mills, over 3,000 yards of sand were used, and timber mills were to receive orders for over 500,000 feet of timber. The contract for the windows with J. and W. Faulkner of Dunedin represented eighteen months work for over fifty men. The stone work represented considerable local opportunities. Fletcher's had negotiated the lease of the Bluff quarry from Messrs Frapwells Ltd. The quarrying would employ forty men at Bluff. A stone-working plant was to be installed at Pelichet Bay for finishing the stone. The installation of the plant involved the use of diamond saws, and carborundum moulding machines. The process was entirely new in the preparation of stone for a Dunedin contract. The style and nature of the building required a company experienced in the 'new methods of construction and new materials.' Fletcher Construction finished the building almost within the scheduled time. This was notable because there was a delay of more than five months experienced because the structural steel had not arrived from England. The contract represented the largest ever let in the Dominion for a building. Fletcher stated the building 'struck an entirely new note in architectural design, and from an architectural point of view was in keeping with the modern trend of thought.' There had been 'a great deal of criticism' levelled at the Government Architect and his department on the ground that the design 'departed from the orthodox and that its striking plainness would be a jarring note on some of the surrounding buildings.' Fletcher, however, considered that the new post office would be 'one of the outstanding buildings of New Zealand' and would be in 'perfect harmony' with its surroundings. He also believed that the erection of the Post Office would create a feeling of greater confidence in Dunedin. The completion of the building marked the realisation of the 'dream that has been cherished by Dunedin people for a good many years of having a Post and Telegraph Office worthy of the city.' The city had suffered since 1876 because the Post and Telegraph parts of the service were housed in different buildings some distance apart. The new building was one that would compare well in its construction and facilities with any in the Dominion. Post and Telegraph workers would now be housed in the 'best accommodation that modern design and construction can give them.' At the opening ceremony the Postmaster-General Hon. F. Jones described the new CPO as a 'very real reward for the patience and forbearance of the people', and in keeping with Dunedin's architectural standing. He described the '“massive, dignified building in the centre of the city' as the pride of the city, with an '“imposing structure' symbolic of the 'place Dunedin holds in the commercial life of the Dominion.' He hoped that the spectacle of the building would encourage a spirit of enterprise among business people - 'who may not be content for long to see this building towering over its neighbours.' He also hoped that the Post Office would become a 'spearhead of a new business centre for the city' - as Post Offices often became a focal point for civic and business purposes. The building was complete with 'every modern attribute', 'affording the greatest ease and convenience for the public in the transaction of business, but also to ensure the most hygienic working conditions for the large staffs which will be accommodated in its precincts.' The Otago Daily Times described the building as the last word in this type of construction and the 'main impression of a visitor to the building is one of solidity. Plain almost to the point of severity, the architecture of the Post Office at once denotes its utilitarian purpose, and through the structure the impression is paramount that it is pre-eminently a place for work.' The main entrance gave an 'entirely favourable impression' of the building: 'Broad steps lead into the main vestibule and from there into the main public space, where, at long counters arranged in rectangular form, all the miscellaneous business of the Post and Telegraph Department will be transacted.' Dignitaries were given a conducted tour of the building, taking an hour and a half to walk from the roof to the basement. A notable feature of the building was that wherever possible New Zealand materials were utilised. All the timber was New Zealand grown, the hard granite was from Bluff, the white stone on the upper part of the buildings was from Putaruru, and some of the decorative effects in the entrances and certain of the stairways used New Zealand marble. Nelson marble was used for flooring in the main vestibule and entrances, and the two front staircases from the street to the first floor had dadoes of Whangarei marble of an amber colour. 'To any person not familiar in this respect the extent to which it has been found possible - and no doubt, profitable - to incorporate the use of New Zealand materials in an undertaking of the size of the new post office must be something in the nature of a revelation.' The Head of the Chamber of Commerce noted that there was much to admire: 'New Zealand stone, including marble from the North Island, granite from the Bluff, and New Zealand wood (most beautifully-figured heart of red pine) have been utilised, and under expert treatment have become objects of symmetry and beauty. It is a building of which we may be justly proud, and engineer and workman have created, with the aid of electricity, machinery, and careful planning, a centralised home for our most important State departments, whose function is to serve the public.' All postal and telegraph services were in the one building, Dunedin's citizens could do all their business 'on kauri counters with a surface like glass.' The left hand side of the main public space was set aside for the Savings Bank Department, with private letter boxes also on the ground floor, on the Liverpool Street entrance. The mayor of Dunedin, the Rev. E.T. Cox, described the building as the 'largest and best-equipped set of offices, not merely in the Dominion, but in the Southern Hemisphere.' Cox congratulated the Postmaster-General for his foresight and statesmanship in recognising that the 'architecture of a country is both a reflection of the character of its people as well as a constant stimulus to its sons to practice great ideals of life and citizenship.' The Mayor noted the importance of the construction to the local economy in a difficult time - the commencement of the building during a period of economic downturn gave employment to workmen, and added impetus to business. The building was fitted with 'electrical and mechanical devices of all kinds' providing a 'striking illustration of the progress made in engineering and electricity.' Cox stated that during all the years of change the Post Office continued to serve with 'honesty, efficiency and integrity.' With the telegraph office and money order and savings bank branches it had become 'part of our national life.' Layout and Facilities According to the Otago Daily Times five of the nine floors were to be occupied by the Post and Telegraph Department, with the remaining floors being occupied within two months by various Government departments, at present scattered around the city. Also notable was that no old furniture was taken into the new building. All new desks, chairs, telephones and equipment were installed. Almost the whole of the equipment installed in the building was new with 'modern devices' being introduced where ever possible. The only old material was the departmental records, which were to be stored in a strong room in the basement. Up-to-date mail facilities were installed. The mail vans unloaded into the basement, where an escalator took the mail to the ground floor. City mail was then taken in a specially constructed lift to the postmen's room. Sorting and delivery of parcels was to be carried out in the basement, with the telegram delivery branch also located there. The first floor was taken up mainly with the accommodation of the chief postmaster's clerical staff. The suite of rooms overlooking Princes Street was reserved as office space for visiting Cabinet Ministers. Besides the ministerial rooms, there were also waiting rooms, and accommodations for Ministers' private secretaries and typists. The technical branch of the Telegraph Department was located on the second floor, the south wing being occupied by the engineers and the operating room. The third floor was devoted to the Post and Telegraph Department, but also included recreational amenities for workers - a cafeteria for mid-day meals, a library, reading room, social hall, women's rest room, and billiard room. Other government departments were located on the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh floors. Access to the upper floors was provided by a stairway in each corner of the building, a set of double lifts at each corner of the Princes Street frontage, and a single lift at each corner of the Bond Street frontage. With the exception of a few small spaces, the whole of the floor space was allotted. Notable users included 4ZB, the Government's fourth radio station in a chain of commercial stations planned to serve listening and commercial interests. Its studios were housed on the third floor - with many memorable moments noted in the station's tenth anniversary publication. There was considerable competition for space in the new building. Right from the start there seems to have been some problems with adequate accommodations for some departments. Floor layouts changed with the changing usage of the building. At its peak, 1,100 people worked inside the building. As early as 1941, there were indications that the new building still did not meet the space requirements of the government departments. With the expansion of the Post and Telegraph Department, other government departments gradually moved out of the building. The problems were compounded by the run-down condition of the other government buildings - the Custom House and the Post and Telegraph Building nearby, which prevented them from being used for additional accommodation. These were both considered to be in a 'most discreditable condition [for government buildings] in the centre of such an important city.' The District Engineer considered that there was no room for expansion in the new CPO. He suggested that the only suitable site for expansion was the old Post and Telegraph and Custom House sites. He suggested that a four to six-storey modern building replace the Custom House, and be extended to the Post and Telegraph site. By 1953 the government departments had largely outgrown the facilities at the CPO. A report in the Otago Daily Times in June of that year describes the departments as pressed for space, and seeking to move from the 'overcrowded' building. Some departments had already moved, and the Agriculture Department would be moved when office space was available. A spokesperson said that another government building had been required ten years previously, but that there were no plans for a new building. As had been the case before the construction of the CPO, government departments were again scattered in different parts of the city. The Post Office Moves on - The Restructuring of NZ Post in the 1980s By the mid 1960s the Post Office activities were regarded as falling into three categories: providing services to the public - postal, telegraph, telephone and radio; agency services performed through the Post Office, including the Post Office Savings Bank; and internal maintenance and general services to ensure the efficient operation of the first two functions - stores, buildings, maintenance, workshops and garages. The most extraordinary aspect in the post-war years was the growth in the use of the telephone, only limited by the Post and Telegraph Department's ability to obtain materials and labour for adding exchange equipment. Technological developments such as multi-channel communications enabled the Post Office to meet the growing demands. The Post Office was a social service agency, but also one of New Zealand's largest businesses. Post Offices served a social function as the government's agency in the community. The Mason-Morris review in 1985 described the post office as an 'old-fashioned organisation that had developed from the original nineteenth century postal operation into the present head office and district structure by the ad hoc addition of function dictated by communications technology and economic factors.' In 1985 there were twenty two districts, each under the control of a chief postmaster, and 17 telecommunications district, each under the control of a District or Regional engineer. Organisational structures were largely unchanged, despite major technological changes. The 1985 review called for the separation of the organisation into three separate businesses each with its own management and support structures. The restructuring under the 1986 State Owned Enterprises Act aimed at rationalising operations. The 'monolithic post offices in every city'” were treated as assets whose value was to be assessed - particularly as in the eyes of the new regime many of the buildings '“no longer fulfilled any useful function in the modern postal business the company knew it had to create.' The result was the closure of 432 post offices, including the Dunedin Chief Post Office. New Zealand Post shifted its operations to Strathallan Street in 1997, breaking a 130 year association with postal services on the Princes Street site. The CPO building has remained unoccupied and unused since this time. Public concern for the landmark building remains high, with continued debate about its condition and its appropriate redevelopment.

The former Chief Post Office is located on Princes Street, south of the Octagon which has historically been Dunedin's business centre. The streetscape is notable for its substantial business premises as the financial and administrative hub of nineteenth and early twentieth century Dunedin. he earlier site of the Provincial Government Buildings that once housed the postal services. The former Chief Post Office is included within the North Princes Street/Moray Place/Exchange Townscape Heritage Precinct under the Dunedin City District Plan. The building sits on the edge of what had been the high water mark before land reclamation programmes. 'The Exchange' area was the centre of Dunedin's early development. The substantial commercial architecture of The Exchange reflects the prosperity of a city built on the gold rushes of the 1860s. The Chief Post Office is a crucial element of the unique urban quality of The Exchange. The scale of the area is unique in Dunedin - with the majority of the buildings at least five storeys high. Until the Chief Post Office was built in 1937, there had been little structural change in the appearance of the Exchange. The thoroughfare was much as it had been at the turn of the century. The Depression and the war meant there was little building in the city centre in the 1930s and 1940s. The Exchange was Dunedin's commercial heart through until the 1960s, when development began to move north of the Octagon. In the 1960s, with the closure of various department stores and the halt in the cable car services, and changes in traffic layout, The Exchange's centrality to Dunedin business declined. The restructuring of government departments, insurance companies and other large employing organisations added to the doldrums of the area. The people employed in these areas had provided the lifeblood of The Exchange. Added to the change in the commercial and retail sectors in the area, there was a further decrease in activity and population. Even without the population it once had, The Exchange remains the historic heart of the city. Description of Building The Dunedin CPO is in the neo-classical revival style, used in both America and Great Britain at the beginning of the twentieth century. The style represented a 'process of purification' - away from Art Nouveau and Imperial Baroque - which ultimately led to the pure geometry of the Modern Movement. Architects such as John Burnet, with his 1911 Offices for the Kodak Company in London, provided the model for the stripped detailing and steel construction much imitated in the 1920s and 1930s. Chief Post Office architect J.T. Mair, with his American training, and recent tour to Britain and Europe would have had contact with these developing styles. The return to classicism resulted in a form more suited to the possibilities created by the use of structural steel and concrete - methods used in the construction of the Dunedin Chief Post Office. Within New Zealand, the Dunedin CPO marked a departure from the use of Imperial Baroque for public buildings. Imperial Baroque, such as the Public Trust building in Wellington, marked the last of the ultra extravagant public buildings, with the styles that followed being more restrained. Alastair Service notes that Baroque styling seemed suitable for load-bearing masonry construction, but no longer appeared valid with the increasing use of steel frames. Peter Richardson notes that the British had favoured Imperial Baroque for their public buildings - the monumentality capturing and celebrating the spirit of a great empire. Expatriates also used the style including John Campbell, Mair's predecessor as Government Architect. J.T. Mair and Campbell both sought to create a 'new and modern architectural image of government which reflected his own architectural tastes and training.' Mair's model was influenced by his training, and was based on stripped classicism and the modern office. The interior fabric of the building has been removed, except for main switchboards, stairwells and lifts. The exterior appearance is largely unaltered but neglected.