Frontage fails test for future
Nelson’s council is asking for feedback on a request to demolish a 100-year-old Trafalgar St facade.
The building, known by some as the old pharmacy building thanks to its history, was built in 1924. It has stood empty for several years thanks to its low earthquake safety rating – just 10 per cent of the new building standard.
Reports on the Nelson City Council website show that the building is not technically a heritage site. It is listed as a ‘‘group B’’ building – one that is allowed to be demolished or altered only with council permission.
From 1866 to 1917, the site housed several pharmacists and chemists, and was modified or rebuilt several times. After the building burned down, the site was left vacant until 1924, when it was sold and a new building was constructed, also housing a chemist.
It was one of a row of shops that were rebuilt after another fire in 1920 and shared an interconnected facade, which has since been mostly demolished.
A report into the historical value of the site by local archaeologist Amanda Young said it was of some historical interest.
‘‘It is likely that deeper deposits on the property will have survived the 1917 fire clean-up, the 1925 construction process and the 1968 site alterations,’’ Young wrote. ‘‘Any development of the property is likely to modify or destroy any such archaeological remains.’’
Heritage architect John Gray also prepared a report on the building. He noted that the type of work required to retain and strengthen the facade ‘‘would considerably restrict the ability to successfully lease the street front space’’ and ‘‘would make the project economically prohibitive and financially unviable’’.
Gray said the significance of the facade – which was only about 20 per cent of the original – was ‘‘considerably diminished’’ by the loss of the other 80 per cent.
‘‘The main feature of these types of decorative Edwardian facades was their symmetry . . . However, the lack of symmetry, through the facade truncation, has left this building with a distinct impression of deformation, to its total detriment.
‘‘These impediments, together with its ‘odd’ neighbours, . . . does nothing to improve the ‘unfortunate orphan’ appearance within the streetscape.’’
Gray concluded that the building ‘‘fails miserably’’ and ‘‘to a considerable degree’’ on every condition necessary for a historic
‘‘Demolition to the extent requested is the best option.’’ John Gray, heritage architect
building to have a long-term future. He said it would be ‘‘completely unjust’’ to require the owner to try to strengthen and redevelop the building on heritage grounds.
‘‘I too concur with the opinion of the building owners that demolition to the extent requested is the best option.’’
The proposed plan is to remove the upper storey, while retaining the ability to build an upper level later. The new build would replace the existing facade with a modern, lightweight one at the same height, to help brace walls shared with neighbouring buildings.
Architect Ken Robinson has designed a facade for the building which could be ‘‘easily converted to allow a second storey to be constructed behind [it] in the future’’.
The building is currently empty apart from housing the Viewfinder Window, one of the council’s Make/Shift spaces art installations.
Submissions can be made via the council’s website or in writing until February 12.