Quake grant revives Lambretta’s
The home of a landmark Nelson eatery has had a major makeover, thanks to a government grant to help strengthen earthquake prone heritage buildings.
The upper floor of the former New Zealand Insurance building in Hardy St, that houses Lambretta’s Cafe Bar, has opened as office space, after nearly a quarter of a million dollar upgrade.
The building, built in 1955, was the first in Nelson to get a grant from the Heritage Earthquake Upgrade Incentive Programme, (Heritage EQUIP); a scheme announced by the government last August.
Receiving the $94,700 cash injection was a big incentive to get the work done, co-owner Ben Van Dyke said.
‘‘The building’s worth more done up than tearing down and rebuilding. It was a beautiful building and it was worth preserving.’’
The new space includes about 20 work stations, spread across five rooms, and a boardroom.
The grant helped pay for the steel reinforcement of the two storey building, listed as a category two historic place.
The top half of the building was now well above the accepted quake proofing standard, Van Dyke said.
The upper floor, which used to house an English language centre, had been empty for a year and a half after the centre bought their own site.
Van Dyke said they’d had to think outside the square about how to renovate the space.
‘‘We had to make it rentable. Right now, half the downtown is empty upstairs. The idea is we’re doing something different; the opportunity’s been given to us by the grant.’’
Similar work on strengthening Lambretta’s on the ground floor was due to take place in the winter.
The government assistance followed building laws that came into effect last July, requiring either an upgrade or replacement of buildings that pose a significant risk to life in an event of an earthquake.
The Nelson City Council said the building would be reassessed once the work was completed.