Ponsonby Post Office | |
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General information | |
Architectural style | Edwardian Baroque |
Location | 1-3 St Marys Bay Road, Ponsonby, Auckland |
Country | New Zealand |
Coordinates | 36°50′50″S 174°44′41″E / 36.84723936313432°S 174.7445847003885°E |
Construction started | 1912 |
Cost | £3700 |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | John Campbell |
Designated | 7-July-1987 |
Reference no. | 628 |
The Ponsonby Post Office is a Heritage New Zealand Category 1 Historic Place. It is the former post office for the suburb of Ponsonby, and is located in Three Lamps area of Ponsonby. [1]
It was designed by the Government Architect, John Campbell, and built by L McKinstry. [1] It cost £3700, half of which was contributed by the residents of Ponsonby. [1]
On 13 March 1920 the Postmaster Augustus Braithwaite was murdered in his home. [2] His keys were then used to rob the Post Office. [2] Dennis Gunn was found guilty of Braithwaite's murder and was executed in June 1920. [3] This was possibly the first time that a capital crime had been prosecuted with the accused identified entirely by fingerprint evidence. [4]
It was considered as an earthquake risk in the 1940s and the clocktower and building was saved from demolition. [4] In the 1970s, there were concerns again, and $11,000 worth of renovations were undertaken. [4] Auckland Council sold the post office in 1992 to Portmain Properties. [4] Auckland Council continued to lease the property until 2002 as a post office. [4] It was then sold again in 2003. [4]
Since 2002, there have been several businesses that have leased the space. In 2004, it was converted into a drinking establishment, Belgian Beer Cafe, which led to a Malcolm Walker cartoon of the post office as a burlesque dancer appearing in the Bay News. [5] The building was sold again in 2013 for $4.86 million. [6] At the end of their ten year lease, the Belgian Beer Cafe left the ground floor. [6] The building was then put back on the market in 2014, eighteen months later, with the ground floor empty and the upper floor leased to a medical practice. [6]
It most recently sold in June 2016 for $5 million. [7] Since 2020, Hotel Ponsonby, a bar, bistro and beer garden, have been based in the ground floor of the building. [8]
The building is described as a "very free, idiosyncratic example of Edwardian Baroque architecture." [1] It sits at the corner of Saint Marys Rd and College Hill with the entrance being at the apex of the triangular site. [1] It was constructed using brick walls with a cement finish on the ground floor, and pressed brick walls with cement dressing. [1] The interior walls are finished in Keene's cement and Rimu for the woodwork. [1]
In 1913, the building was modified to add a clock and to heighten the clock tower which sits over the entrance façade. [1] Above the entrance there is a large broken pediment with the royal coat of arms. [1] It is one of the best preserved Edwardian post offices in New Zealand. [1] It is, however, described as somewhat ill-proportioned. [1]
Media related to Ponsonby Post Office (former) at Wikimedia Commons
Ponsonby Post Office | |
---|---|
| |
General information | |
Architectural style | Edwardian Baroque |
Location | 1-3 St Marys Bay Road, Ponsonby, Auckland |
Country | New Zealand |
Coordinates | 36°50′50″S 174°44′41″E / 36.84723936313432°S 174.7445847003885°E |
Construction started | 1912 |
Cost | £3700 |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | John Campbell |
Designated | 7-July-1987 |
Reference no. | 628 |
The Ponsonby Post Office is a Heritage New Zealand Category 1 Historic Place. It is the former post office for the suburb of Ponsonby, and is located in Three Lamps area of Ponsonby. [1]
It was designed by the Government Architect, John Campbell, and built by L McKinstry. [1] It cost £3700, half of which was contributed by the residents of Ponsonby. [1]
On 13 March 1920 the Postmaster Augustus Braithwaite was murdered in his home. [2] His keys were then used to rob the Post Office. [2] Dennis Gunn was found guilty of Braithwaite's murder and was executed in June 1920. [3] This was possibly the first time that a capital crime had been prosecuted with the accused identified entirely by fingerprint evidence. [4]
It was considered as an earthquake risk in the 1940s and the clocktower and building was saved from demolition. [4] In the 1970s, there were concerns again, and $11,000 worth of renovations were undertaken. [4] Auckland Council sold the post office in 1992 to Portmain Properties. [4] Auckland Council continued to lease the property until 2002 as a post office. [4] It was then sold again in 2003. [4]
Since 2002, there have been several businesses that have leased the space. In 2004, it was converted into a drinking establishment, Belgian Beer Cafe, which led to a Malcolm Walker cartoon of the post office as a burlesque dancer appearing in the Bay News. [5] The building was sold again in 2013 for $4.86 million. [6] At the end of their ten year lease, the Belgian Beer Cafe left the ground floor. [6] The building was then put back on the market in 2014, eighteen months later, with the ground floor empty and the upper floor leased to a medical practice. [6]
It most recently sold in June 2016 for $5 million. [7] Since 2020, Hotel Ponsonby, a bar, bistro and beer garden, have been based in the ground floor of the building. [8]
The building is described as a "very free, idiosyncratic example of Edwardian Baroque architecture." [1] It sits at the corner of Saint Marys Rd and College Hill with the entrance being at the apex of the triangular site. [1] It was constructed using brick walls with a cement finish on the ground floor, and pressed brick walls with cement dressing. [1] The interior walls are finished in Keene's cement and Rimu for the woodwork. [1]
In 1913, the building was modified to add a clock and to heighten the clock tower which sits over the entrance façade. [1] Above the entrance there is a large broken pediment with the royal coat of arms. [1] It is one of the best preserved Edwardian post offices in New Zealand. [1] It is, however, described as somewhat ill-proportioned. [1]
Media related to Ponsonby Post Office (former) at Wikimedia Commons