Post Office (Former)

311 Manukau Road and Kimberley Road, Epsom, AUCKLAND

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Initially constructed in 1909, the Epsom Post Office (Former) reflects the growth of postal and other services in suburban communities initiated by the first Liberal Government (1891-1912), and further expansion undertaken by another reforming administration, the first Labour Government (1935-1949), in the 1930s. Initially designed as a Baroque Revival structure, the two-storey brick building also illustrates the changing appearance and use of post offices during the early decades of the twentieth century. The site lies to the southwest of Mount St John (Te Kopuke), a pa that is considered to have been occupied by Waiohoua under the leadership of Kiwi Tamaki. After the founding of Auckland as colonial capital in 1840, the area that became known as Epsom was subdivided for farming. Part of a circa 1900 residential subdivision, the site at the corner of Kimberley and Manukau Roads was purchased in 1907 for a post office serving anticipated suburban development in the Epsom and One Tree Hill localities. Provision of nationwide public services and communication infrastructure under the first Liberal Government led to a post office construction boom commencing in circa 1900. Under the auspices of John Campbell, the Government Architect of the time, the Baroque Revival emerged as the appropriate architectural style for early twentieth-century government buildings. Erected in 1909 by Auckland contractor William Ball, the two storey brick building had a Marseilles-tiled roof and rough-cast finish. It was of strongly symmetrical design incorporating traditional elements such as a centre gable, and innovations such as dual lobbies (one for private box holders) which represented a transitional design in a developing model for suburban post offices. Internally, the structure accommodated a public office, telephone bureau, mail room, telephone room and strong room on the ground floor. Reflecting customary nineteenth- and early twentieth-century commercial design, a two-bedroom residence was provided upstairs. Growing motor vehicle registrations, provision of other services such as the 1934 establishment of school banking and increased state intervention in the supply of social and other services following the Great Depression of the early 1930s, resulted in a greater role for post offices under the first Labour Government. In 1937, changes made to the Epsom Post Office included the enlargement of the mail room by removal of one of the front lobbies and the construction of a flat-roofed, office addition. Replacement of the central gable by a flat parapet modernised the building’s appearance at this time. The kitchen and bathroom facilities of the upper-floor residence were modernised in 1950. Changing methods of service delivery and economic reforms resulted in the sale of the recently strengthened building to private owners in 1991 and the subsequent enlargement and remodelling of the building for office use. The former Epsom Post Office has aesthetic value as a building of striking visual appearance. The place has architectural value as a surviving small suburban post office of early twentieth-century date, initially designed under the supervision of Government Architect John Campbell and modified in a Stripped Classical style favoured for state architecture during John Mair’s tenure as Government Architect. The place has historical value for demonstrating the importance of postal services and other forms of communication delivery in the twentieth century, and the role of post offices in nation-building during the period when New Zealand was transformed from a British colony to a Dominion. The place has social significance for its role as the main centre for postal services within the Epsom community for 80 years; for illustrating early twentieth-century businesses practices such as the provision of residential accommodation above the workplace; and for its associations with gender issues including post office work as a socially acceptable area of employment for women.

Post Office (Former) | Robin Byron | 14/01/2010 | NZ Historic Places Trust
Post Office (Former). Epsom Post Office. Epsom Post Office, Manukau Road, Auckland. Price, William Archer, 1866-1948 :Collection of post card negatives. Ref: 1/2-001161. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://beta.natlib.govt.nz/records/22747873 | Alexander Turnbull Library

Location

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List Entry Information

Overview

Detailed List Entry

Status

Listed

List Entry Status

Historic Place Category 2

Access

Private/No Public Access

List Number

4507

Date Entered

10th October 2010

Date of Effect

10th October 2010

City/District Council

Auckland Council

Region

Auckland Council

Extent of List Entry

Extent includes the land described as Pt Lot 17 DP 2332 (RT NA145/248), North Auckland Land District, and the building known as Post Office (Former) thereon, and its fittings and fixtures. (Refer to map in Appendix 1 for further information).

Legal description

Pt Lot 17 DP 2332 (RT NA145/248), North Auckland Land District

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