After a year's intensive restoration work, former Northland couple Margaret Robson and Jan Marris will reopen the landmark art deco Masonic Hotel's leadlighted doors for business on August 15 - two and a-half years since the last drink crossed its bar.
Mrs Robson and Mr Marris were in St Andrews for a friend's funeral at Queen's Birthday weekend in 2007 when they went to have a drink at the Masonic Hotel and found it closed.
However, it was during another trip to South Canterbury the following December that their interest in the 73 year-old building was piqued.
Mrs Marris said they drove past and said simultaneously ‘‘I really like the look of that building''.
After a brief look around, they returned for a closer inspection in January last year. Although dismayed to find ‘‘a glorious building, going to rack and ruin'', it was already casting its spell on them, she said.
An image of the building in a restored state had already lodged itself in her mind - an ‘‘awful'' vision because of the work and money required to achieve it. However, they were encouraged by the local constable, who told them the community needed a social centre.
‘‘That got us thinking about the community and the fact that it was more than just a building. To be a community, people need to meet, otherwise they get fragmented.''
Negotiations followed, and in February last year they found themselves as the 14th owners of the second Masonic Hotel, built in 1937. It replaced the original wooden hotel, built in 1876, that was destroyed by fire in 1936.
In the past month, the couple have been putting the final touches on a restoration project that has left no part of the building untouched.
In an age of tilt slab construction and generic decor, the Masonic Hotel stands apart with its curvaceous walls, art deco trims, french doors, wooden panelling and extensive leadlighting.
Mrs Robson said 85 per cent of their building work would never be seen by the public. From a leaking roof and rotting windows, the hotel had been transformed into a relatively low-maintenance building.
‘‘She can take her place again as a lovely public asset for the community.''
About 150 St Andrews residents got a sneak preview of the hotel in April, when they were invited for morning tea following the Anzac Day commemoration.
From August 15, the hotel's bar will open seven days a week, snacks and meals will be served, and accommodation in six rooms will be available.
The couple will employ a full-time bar and kitchen assistant and a part-time cleaner to help them run the business.
Mrs Robson said they wanted to take advantage of the hotel's architecture and its location on State Highway One. They hoped the travellers who frequently stopped to photograph the building would now go in for a meal or drink.
‘‘We offer an architectural experience. We feel that if we offer a good service, and we are open, people will have confidence in the hotel and keep coming back.
‘‘We also hope we have created something that can be enjoyed by the community as a nice meeting place.''
- Guy Williams.