The Hannah’s Building, built in 1924-28 on a prominent intersection in the business heart of Greymouth, is a reminder of the West Coast origins of the nationally renowned shoe firm of Hannah & Co.

The production and supply of boots was an important matter in colonial New Zealand. Muddy roads and plenty of physical outdoor work required reliable, sturdy and waterproof footwear. In 1868, the Grey River Argus advertised at least five Greymouth bootmakers. Hannah & Co was established in Greymouth almost a decade later, emphasising the reliability (‘nothing shoddy’) of their stock.

Irish bootmaker Robert Hanna [sic] (1845-1930) came to New Zealand via Australia in 1866, arriving in the gold rush town of Hokitika on the West Coast. He settled in nearby Charleston and in 1868 founded his bootmaking business there. By 1873, the gold output from Charleston was dropping and the population was in decline so Hannah shifted to Wellington. Robert Hannah & Co opened on Lambton Quay in June 1874. The business quickly prospered and by 1879 there was another branch and factory in Cuba Street, followed by stores in Molesworth and Willis Streets a few years later. By the end of the nineteenth century, there were ten stores throughout the North Island, as well as one in Greymouth.

R Hannah & Company’s Greymouth Boot Market first opened on Mawhera Quay in 1887. The opening notices in the Grey River Argus emphasised Hannah’s West Coast relationship: ‘As our Mr Hannah lived on the Coast for ten years, this will be a sufficient guarantee that the comforts and requirements of the boot-wearing public in and around Greymouth will receive the special attention required.’ That building narrowly escaped destruction by a large fire in Greymouth in 1889.

In the 1920s, a new Hannah’s Building was constructed nearby, on the corner of Mackay and Tainui Streets. In a stripped classical style typical of the 1920s, it has concrete piles, plastered double brick walls and a corrugated steel roof. The ground floor has been altered and largely comprises clear windows for retail. Above a corrugated steel verandah, the exterior of the first floor has three triple light windows with curved pediments on both facades. Instead of a sharp join at the corner, there is a small set-back containing a single window with a small curved pediment. The windows are flanked by pilasters. In the cornice of both the north and west elevations are the words ‘Hannah’s Building’. The architect is not known.

The firm of Hannah & Co was a major employer in New Zealand from the late nineteenth century and for most of the twentieth century it was noted for its large scale manufacture of boots and shoes. Today, Hannahs remains a household name. The Greymouth Hannah’s Building was constructed specifically for the business and still houses a Hannahs retail shoe shop in the south-western part of the ground floor. As it is a relatively large building, it is not surprising that for most, if not all of its life, other businesses have also occupied part of the premises - retail on the ground floor and offices above.