Dunedin Athenaeum and Mechanics' Institute

22-24 The Octagon, DUNEDIN

Quick links:

The Dunedin Athenaeum and Mechanics' Institute, which opened in 1870 on a prominent site in The Octagon, Dunedin, is one of the oldest surviving main-centre athenaeums still used for its original purpose in New Zealand. The Mechanics' Institute was originally formed in Dunedin in 1851 and became known as the Dunedin Athenaeum and Mechanics' Institute from 1859. The private organisation took a wider responsibility for the education of the Dunedin community at a time when there was no other adult education available by providing a library and classes for its members. Membership increased after the Dunedin gold rushes of 1860-1862 and, by the late 1860s, the Dunedin Athenaeum and Mechanics' Institute required new and larger premises. Well-known Dunedin architect David Ross (1827-1908) was commissioned to design the new building for a site in The Octagon, the heart of Dunedin's central business district. The building was formally opened by the Premier the Hon. William Fox (1812? - 1893) on the 9 May 1870. The bluestone and brick building presented a classical two-storey façade to the Octagon and its facilities included a library, a reading room, a ladies room and three classrooms. The building was subsequently altered several times to meet the changing needs of its members. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the popularity of athenaeums and mechanics institutes declined as local government began to offer the services that such organisations had traditionally provided. As a result, while a number of their buildings still survive, the organisations which constructed the buildings have not. The continued survival of the Dunedin Athenaeum and Mechanics' Institute is relatively unusual and, like others that continued to operate in the twentieth century, was largely a result of the private subscription library it offered its members. The Dunedin Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute continue to operate the Athenaeum Library from its 1870s premises in 2008. The evolution from an organisation focused on education, into a place of social gathering, and its current function as a private subscription library, provide an illustration of the changing culture over the last 150 years. As one of the only main centre Athenaeum and Mechanics' Institutes still used for its original purpose, the Dunedin Athenaeum and Mechanics' Institute is of special significance.

Dunedin Athenaeum and Mechanics’ Institute. Image courtesy of www.cityofliterature.co.nz | Uknown | Dunedin City of Literature
Dunedin Athenaeum and Mechanics' Institute. February 2008 | Jonathan Howard | Heritage New Zealand
Dunedin Athenaeum and Mechanics' Institute. 2006. Left - Detail of the capital of the columns in the library. Right - Detail of ceiling vent in library | Heather Bauchop | Heritage New Zealand

Location

Loading

List Entry Information

Overview

Detailed List Entry

Status

Listed

List Entry Status

Historic Place Category 1

Access

Private/No Public Access

List Number

7781

Date Entered

9th September 2008

Date of Effect

9th September 2008

City/District Council

Dunedin City

Region

Otago Region

Extent of List Entry

Extent includes the land described as Sec 33 Blk XV Town of Dunedin (RT OT253/67) Otago Land District and the building known as The Dunedin Athenaeum and Mechanics' Institute thereon, and its fittings and fixtures (Refer to map in Appendix 1 of the registration report for further information).

Legal description

Sec 33 Blk XV Town of Dunedin (RT OT253/67), Otago Land District

Stay up to date with Heritage this month