Space to let in Methodist archive building
The Methodist Church of New Zealand’s head office staff have moved to a new Christchurch office building, Weteriana House at 50 Langdons Rd, which will soon be complemented with a new archives building.
A feature of the property is a metal sculpture by prominent Christchurch-born sculptor Neil Dawson. The artwork is made up of dozens of doves flying upwards to reflect the shape of an unfurling flower.
Earthquake proceeds paid for most of the $6.5 million building.
The planned archive building will become part of the Methodist Church’s administration office complex, and will house the church’s national archives.
These archives include handwritten parish records, copies of local and national church newspapers, building plans going back into the 1800s, and numerous other pieces of history.
After the 2010-11 Canterbury earthquakes the church’s archives team moved from its former building in Latimer Square, and the records and artefacts were stored in a 110-squaremetre lock-up in Wairakei Rd.
The archives staff will occupy 300sqm of the proposed 528sqm space, which includes storage and associated reading rooms and offices. This will leave a lettable area of 224sqm, which includes a services and toilet area.
The building will be completed with a suspended ceiling, giving it a height of three metres. It will include airconditioning and humidity control set to archival standards, as well as a sprinkler fire protection system.
Greg Wright has managed the construction of the new developments, which he said reflected the values of the Methodist Church.
The Weteriana boardroom is called the Morley Room after the first church secretary, Rev Dr William Morley, and his daughter Sister Mabel Morley.
The meeting rooms are named after missionary Rev Te Wiremu Te Rato, pacifist Rev Ormond Burton, and Rev Dr Phyllis Guthardt, who was the first woman to be ordained in New Zealand.
The developments were designed by Hill Miles Architecture, with Higgs Construction doing the building work.