The gutted remains of the Ranfurly Auto building.
A public meeting in Ranfurly tonight will discuss the
future of the Ranfurly Auto art deco building, which was
damaged by fire earlier this year.
Rural Art Deco Maniototo has been looking into the extent and
cost of work to save the facade of the distinctive, curved
1950s building.
The commercial property owned by Dick and Janet Parker was
extensively damaged in a fire on March 8, thought to be the
town's largest structure blaze in three decades.
The back of the property was cleared but the facade, which
fronts on to the town's main street, remains.
Interested members of the public are invited to the meeting
in the Ranfurly Town Hall, starting at 5pm, to discuss
possible options for the site.
Community and economic development co-ordinator Amie Pont
said it was important to get some sort of direction from the
meeting "in a constructive way" about what people would like
to see happen.
It would also be a chance for the community to discuss how it
wanted to see the town develop.
"The focus of the meeting is the building, but we need to
think about the importance of art deco and what it does for
tourism in this area and [for] economic viability. It's
always good to get the bigger picture," she said.
Mr and Mrs Parker have decided against rebuilding and were
happy for the art deco group to carry out a feasibility study
of the site.
Art deco chairwoman Diane Paterson described the building in
May as a "significant" art deco building.
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