Leys likely to stay closed for several years
The earthquake prone historic Leys Institute Building in Ponsonby will remain closed for several years while Auckland Council determines its future.
The 1906 library and gymnasium closed suddenly just days before Christmas, prompting concern and speculation among heritage advocates.
Council customer and community services director Ian Maxwell said the closure was for safety reasons after library staff noticed shaking in the building and an engineering report last November found widening cracks and bowing on a 1939 extension behind the building.
“With the movement of the building and the low seismic assessment I took the view that we needed to get our people out,” Maxwell said.
Reports from 2017 showed the building’s seismic assessment only came up to 5 per cent of modern-day building standards.
The Leys Institute was yellow-stickered as an earthquake-prone building in 2018. At the time, the council’s then chief operating officer Dean Kimpton said the building would not be closed.
Engineering firm GH recommended a number of remedial works and suggested a wider refit.
Maxwell said it would take three years, possibly longer, to determine what to do and fix the Category A heritage building, saying repairs and an upgrade would likely run into the millions of dollars. Decisions would be made by councillors and the Waitemata Local Board. Maxwell said he did not think the community would accept an option to demolish the Leys Institute, which was the first public building and library in Ponsonby funded by William and Thomson Leys.
A gymnasium was added in 1906 with money from another local resident, William Mason.
The library was given to Auckland by the Leys family in 1964.
Maxwell said options to repair and renovate the building, included using adjacent properties, which were part of the gift, and selling the building to a developer to upgrade for other purposes.
Council chief engineer Sarah Sinclair said Maxwell had personal liability if anything had gone wrong with the Leys Institute.
“I fully support the decision.”
The 12 or so librarians at the Leys Institute have been redeployed to other libraries. A pop-up library is planned in Ponsonby and a mobile library has been outside the Leys Institute on some days this month. For times, go to: www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz
We needed to get our people out.
Ian Maxwell