Heritage fund may give life to buildings
Two Timaru heritage buildings are a step closer to being earthquake strengthened thanks to grants.
The owners of Dominion Hotel in Stafford St and the DC Turnbull & Co building in Strathallan St have both been awarded $50,000 in the Government’s latest Heritage Equip funding round to get expert advice for required seismic work.
Dominion Hotel owner Bernie Sugrue said while the cost of getting the plans together for the restorative work was more than $120,000, the $50,000 grant was a ‘‘great start’’.
DC Turnbull & Co general manager Jeremy Scott said it would cost more than $300,000 to get plans drawn. ‘‘Any bit of funding we can get helps.’’
Timaru CBD group chairman Nigel Gilkison, who worked with DC Turnbull’s owners to help apply for the grant, said it was ‘‘really positive’’ the funding had come through to help ‘‘retain some of these heritage buildings and give them another life’’.
‘‘I think they’re vitally important. One of Timaru’s biggest assets is its heritage buildings.
‘‘We can establish ourselves as a heritage town and trade on that.’’
Gilkison said losing Timaru’s heritage buildings would ‘‘completely change the face’’ of the South Canterbury town.
‘‘We would really encourage building owners to look at these funding opportunities,’’ he said.
‘‘We [the Timaru CBD group] are here to help. We can’t contribute with funding but we can offer advice and experience.’’
Sugrue said his vision for the 107-year-old heritage building was to convert the top floor to an apartment, the middle to a hotel, and the bottom to a retail space.
‘‘It’s not going to be a cheap exercise. A good percentage of Timaru residents would love to see it back to its former glory, including ourselves. It’s just not a two-minute job.’’
Scott said it was great to see Heritage New Zealand supporting regional heritage buildings.
He was undecided about what the 125-year-old building would ultimately be used for, but would begin discussing possibilities once the plans were ready.
‘‘It’s three floors and it’s a large area on quite a flat piece of land, so there’s some options.’’
Finance Minister Grant Roberton said heritage buildings were ‘‘integral’’ to the country’s character.