Art Deco facade again on show

The Dunedin heritage building at 471 Princes St which has been returned to its former glory after...
The Dunedin heritage building at 471 Princes St which has been returned to its former glory after its 1938 Art Deco facade was revealed and refurbished. Photos by Gerard O'Brien.
The facade had been covered by a glass frontage since 1987
The facade had been covered by a glass frontage since 1987
The building's 1965 appearance. Photo by Hocken Snapshot.
The building's 1965 appearance. Photo by Hocken Snapshot.

A Dunedin heritage building has taken a step back in time after its Art Deco facade was revealed for the first time in nearly 30 years.

Contractors stripped a glass frontage from the Angus Motors building at 471 Princes St, allowing the Art Deco facade underneath to be refurbished.

The project began earlier this year and was expected to be finished by Christmas, owner Bill Brown told the Otago Daily Times.

The aim was to restore the building to its former glory, while reconfiguring and refurbishing apartments upstairs, retail space downstairs, and earthquake-strengthening the entire structure.

Parts of the Edwardian brick masonry building dated back to before 1882. Its Art Deco facade was added in 1938, followed by a glass facade in 1987.

Mr Brown said the work was going well and he was ''very pleased'' with results so far.

''I'm sure people enjoy looking at it.''

Much of the work involved maintenance that ''hasn't been done over the last 80 years, really''.

''A lot of the mortar work and stuff should've been looked at long before now.''

Scaffolding would remain around the lower section of the three-storey building while the veranda was repaired, but work on apartments inside was ''well under way'', he said.

The refurbishment of apartments on the top two floors was almost finished, which - together with the facade - would complete stage one, Mr Brown said.

He then planned to ''have a rest for a year or two'' before completing other internal work, in the downstairs retail space and basement.

The project had ''gone to plan'', despite costs rising above the initial budget of about $250,000.

He would not say by how much the price had risen, but remained upbeat about the upgrade.

''It's been a really good project and it has been worthwhile.''

chris.morris@odt.co.nz

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