Heritage work recognised in Dunedin prizes

A 138YEAROLD refurbished building has taken the top prize at the Dunedin Heritage Awards.

The annual ceremony was held last night at Toitu Otago Settlers Museum to recognise the best in heritage projects across the city.

The top award went to the Zeallandia building at 43 Crawford St, owned by Lawrie Forbes.

It received the outstanding reuse award for an excellent approach to modern design within a heritage envelope.

Mr Forbes bought the 1882 building in January 2016 and refurbished it reusing as much original material as possible.

Dunedin City Council heritage adviser Andrea Farminer said the two main floors of the building provided original, contemporary interior fitouts for their tenants, ‘‘who expressed their love of working in their own unique environments while showcasing the heritage fabric of the former Mackerras & Hazletts Bonded Store.

‘‘The judges were particularly struck by Lawrie’s passion and attention to detail in preserving and recycling historic features of the building as part of the new interior design, in particularly unusually fun and innovative ways.’’

Mr Forbes also won the Otago Polytechnic School of Design interior architecture award for the building.

Other awards recognised heritage building streetscape impact, student design, heritage feature conservation and individual services to heritage.

The ceremony was to be held in March, but postponed due to Covid19.

Other award winners were.— Interior architecture: Zeallandia Building, 43 Crawford St, by Lawrie Forbes; heritage streetscape: Fight Times, 49 Stuart St, by Geoff and Trish Todd; pouhere taonga conservation: Larnach Castle breakfast room restoration, by Norcombe Barker and Guy Williams; student design award: Ilan Avraham, Otago Polytechnic for 232 Rattray St; services to heritage: Ann Barsby and Dr Jill Hamel.

PHOTO: LINDA ROBERTSON Grate prize . . . Lawrie Forbes receives the top award at the Dunedin Heritage Awards last night.

PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON Student design award . . . A former furniture workshop building, 232 Rattray St was recently bought with a view to sensitively adapting and developing the site. It was chosen as the location for students from the Otago Polytechnic’s school of design to enter ideas for the adaptive reuse of the building. Student Ilan Avraham was awarded the student design award for his entry.

PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON Streetscape award . . . The Fight Times building was built between 1907 and 1908 by Joseph Eli White. Originally a fishmongers, poultry dealers, and dining rooms, it was built for a syndicate led by Francis Joseph Sullivan. In 2018, the owners of the former Sweetings building were given a $20,000 heritage grant to assist with restoring the building’s facade. Owners Geoff and Trish Todd have received the heritage streetscape award.

PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH Conservation award . . . Miller Creative Group senior signwriter Corrina Woodason paints the breakfast room at Larnach Castle last year. The room was opened to the public for the first time last year. About $130,000, comprising a $55,000 grant from Heritage New Zealand and money from the Barker family, was spent on the renovations. The room has been awarded the Pouhere Taonga conservation award.

PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON Heritage reuse award . . . The Zeallandia building was constructed in 1882 by James Taylor Mackerras and James Hazlett and began as an importer’s business. The company dealt in goods including wines, spirits, tea, sugar and tobacco. Owner Lawrie Forbes bought the building in 2016 and last year completed 18 months of renovations.