Orari Buildings becomes urban street art canvas

The Orari Buildings, as they were originally known, are located at the north end of Stafford St overlooking Caroline Bay and are currently serving as the canvas for the latest piece of urban street art to be gifted to the people of Timaru.

As this issue went to print, street artist Koryu Aoshima has been putting the final touches on his spectacular mural adorning the south side of this prominent heritage building.

This latest urban art project is another collaborative commission funded by the Timaru Civic Trust, Alive Vibrant Timaru and the current owners of the building, the Wilson family.

Erected in 1925 by William K Macdonald (1863-1927) of Orari Station, the Orari Buildings originally comprised seven shops at ground level and a tearooms on the first floor.

It was designed by the renowned Timaru architect Herbert Hall, who was also responsible for designing the (now demolished) 1912 Hydro Grand Hotel on the opposite corner (also commissioned by Macdonald).

The two-storey triangular-shaped building, with its rounded corner and its two principal facades facing Stafford St and the Port Loop Road, is designed in a relatively restrained commercial classicism style. First-floor windows set within recessed arches are symmetrically grouped, with the central windows articulated by arched mouldings and swag motifs. A prominent cornice runs around the top of the building, topped by a parapet.

Known as the Mascot Finance building from the 1980s, it has recently been renamed Manawa Ora (meaning ‘‘breath of life’’), which is also the theme of Koryu’s spectacular mural.