Painters (from left) Kevin O'Sullivan, Hayden James and Gary Rzepecky, from A1 Decorators, work on the wooden structure of the display house in the Oamaru Public Gardens on Monday.
Work started last week and is expected to take about three weeks.
The exterior has been prepared for painting, and work yesterday shifted inside. The display house will be closed until September 20.
Waitaki District Council recreation manager Erik van der Spek said the closure was necessary while it was cleaned, painted and any other maintenance work carried out.
''We expect the closure to cause only a small amount of inconvenience to the public,'' he said.
The display house, which has a Heritage NZ category 2 classification, required regular painting and maintenance work to preserve the historic nature of the building and its use.
While the display house was closed, the gardens remained open to the public.
Construction of the traditional brick, wooden and glass display house started in 1928 and it was officially opened in February the following year.
It was paid for with funds raised by a great fete.
