Veranda back on

North Otago Club president Peter Garvan stands under the restored Tees St veranda. Photo by Sally...
North Otago Club president Peter Garvan stands under the restored Tees St veranda. Photo by Sally Rae.
One of Oamaru's most prominent buildings is being restored to its former glory.

The North Otago Club's building, on the corner of Itchen and Tees Sts, now boasts a veranda on Itchen St, a replica of one which was attached to the building in the 1880s.

An existing veranda on Tees St has been restored.

Four 1880s-style gas lamps will be installed under the verandas and a door on the corner of the building has also been reinstated.

The building, which has a New Zealand Historic Places Trust category one classification, has housed the club since 1915.

The club was formed in 1906.

The restoration project arose after club president Peter Garvan was inspired by photographs of the building in the North Otago Museum while researching the club's history.

The Forrester and Lemon-designed building was built in three stages.

It housed AMP from the mid-1880s until 1958, and then Stringer and Co, which sold the building to the club in 1975.

A feature of the building is the AMP Amicus marble statue group on the pediment.

The statue came from the parapet of AMP's Sydney headquarters in the 1860s.

Mr Garvan was thrilled with the support for the veranda project.

Most of the $160,000 needed was raised by grants, with 14 groups contributing.

His next project is to restore the shop front on Itchen St and paint the exterior of the building.

Applications for funding will be made and Mr Garvan hoped it would be painted within the next 12 months.

 

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