Work undertaken by the Invercargill City Council on historic Anderson House has now been completed after about 10 months of earthquake-strengthening and exterior repairs.
The news has pleased members of the Anderson House Trust who have been eagerly awaiting the completion of the work since the house was closed in 2014 due to earthquake concerns.
Chairman Craig Macalister said while this part of the work was complete, there was still work to do in the interior of the house to make it functional.
"The trust is very pleased the earthquake problems have been resolved but there’s still a number internal issues to resolve in the house.
"For example, the kitchen facility is probably not in the likes of where we wanted it to be but we continue to work with council in regards to getting some furniture and furnishings back into the property which, as everything, is taking a bit of time as it is pretty much depending on the kind of use and usages the property is going to be [put to]."
At this stage, they would be working on a staged opening with a mix of holding their own events as well as hiring out the facility for functions.
However, Mr Macalister highlighted there would still be some limitations such as opening only on the weekends during the first stage, with the aim of increasing availability over a period of two years.
In the future, the trust would also like to have a cafeteria in the facility for the public to use, he said.
"Unfortunately it’s not something that we can do straight away. It will depend on funding. But we are looking to have an official opening day later this year, potentially in November, with associated events to celebrate the repairs."
The house was gifted by the Anderson family to the city council in 1951.
Council manager business transition Richard McWha said he was excited the historic house was ready to begin a new chapter after repair work which included seismic brackets being added and the roof, floors and chimneys strengthened.
Exterior maintenance such as repairing parts of some windows and doors, cleaning the outside of the building and refurbishing shutters had also taken place, he said.
"It’s been a real thrill to be part of this process and we can’t wait to share this treasure with the people who have waited so long for it to be completed.
"It truly is a treasure that belongs to the people of our city who hold it so close to their hearts."
