Oamaru Buildings
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Thu 24 Jul 2014 22:57
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The Buildings of Oamaru  St. Luke’s Anglican
Church. The nave was built in 1866 and finished in 1876. The spire and
chancel was completed in 1913 and finally the west porch in 1922.
Within twenty five years of the first
European dwellings of cabbage trees and clay, Oamaru rose to become not only the
country’s ninth largest town, but also reputedly ‘ the best built in New
Zealand’. Oamaru became
prosperous with its history of refrigerated-meat shipping, wealthy enough to
build imposing limestone buildings that still grace the town today. Oamaru was
at the time a similar size to Los Angeles. These are just a selection that took
our fancy.
 The First Post
Office: Built in 1864, now Oamaru’s oldest surviving public
building.
 The Star and Garter: Occupying the site of Oamaru's first accommodation house, the Star and Garter operated as a hotel for forty seven years (1867-1914). The building also incorporated a Masonic Hall (later Lyric Hall) which has catered for live entertainment since it was built. It continues to operate in that function as a repertory theatre. .
 The A.M.P
Building was built in 1871.
 Forrester
Gallery: The former Bank of New South Wales was built in 1883. It was
converted to an art gallery in 1983.
 National Bank:
This former British-owned Bank of Otago was designed by Dunedin architect
Robert Lawson in 1883.
 The Former Post
Office. This elegant building was designed in 1883, the clock tower was
added in 1903.
 The Courthouse
was built in 1882-83.
 The Opera House
was opened on the of 7th October 1907. The Chamber and the auditorium is noted
for its fine plasterwork.
  The Criterion Hotel,
front and side. Still a hotel and restaurant today, was built in 1877,
designed in the Victorian Italianate style.
 The Union Bank of
Australia. Built in 1878-79. Now home to Oamaru Squash and Badminton
Club.
 North Otago
Museum was built in 1882. It used to be the library, the modern one is
just next door. The words over the front door read: Where there are riches there
are people; and where there are people, stories flow.
 Smith’s Grain
Store. Built in 1881-82 by James Johnston, this building was occupied
from 1906-1970 by the Oamaru Mail.
  NZ Loan and Mercantile
Warehouse – side and front. Built
as a grain store in 1882 to the design of Dennison and Grant, this three storey
Victorian warehouse was built for the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile when it
was the largest stock and station agency in the country. The building was
designed to hold one hundred thousand sacks of grain handled by four grain
elevators. Now a restaurant and whisky tasting establishment.
ALL IN ALL VERY
IMPRESSIVE
BIG IMPOSING BUILDINGS FOR A SMALL
TOWN |