Defence House
| Defence House | |
|---|---|
 Departmental Building, c. 1952 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| Location | 15–21 Stout Street, Wellington |
| Coordinates | 41°16′53″S 174°46′37″E / 41.28130°S 174.77695°E |
| Current tenants | Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment |
| Owner | Argosy Property Management |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 8 |
| Floor area | 21,000 square metres |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | John Mair |
| Main contractor | Fletcher Construction |
| Designated | 10 September 1981 |
| Reference no. | 1356 |
The Departmental Building, long known as Defence House, is a historic office building in Wellington, New Zealand. For many decades the building housed the New Zealand Defence Force and, after a period of vacancy and subsequent extensive refurbishment, it is now occupied by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).
The building is classified as a Category 2 Historic Place (places of "special or outstanding historical or cultural heritage significance or value") by Heritage New Zealand.[1]
History
[edit]
Departmental Building
[edit]The Departmental Building was designed by Government Architect John Mair in 1935. Work started in late 1935 but was suspended in 1936 while additional land was bought[2] and new plans drawn up.[3] The foundations were completed in 1938. The main contractor was Fletcher Construction, with the steel framework erected by William Cable & Company. Construction was largely finished by 1940,[2] although fitting-out was still being done in March 1942.[4]
Defence House
[edit]In 2007, the New Zealand Defence Force moved out of the building after tenanting the building since its construction. The building was no longer fit-for-purpose, and according to the Defence Force: "Despite refurbishments the décor remained dull and dated and the building’s services were inefficient." The Defence Force flags were taken down on 23 February 2007 in a ceremony to close the building.[5]
In December 2012, it was announced that the building would be bought by Argosy Property Management for $33.2 million. A 12-year tenancy agreement was signed between Argosy and the New Zealand Government in January 2013.[6]
MBIE head office
[edit]In late 2014, about 2,000 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment employees moved from five Wellington buildings into the 15 Stout Street building.[7] The relocation had a capital budget of over $18 million, but ultimately $16 million was spent. Operational expenditure on the move was $688,000.[7] The costs involved with the refurbishment were controversial, including the almost $70,000 cost of the MBIE sign outside the building, and the $360,000 cost of office furniture ($1,800 per staff member).[8]
References
[edit]- ^ "Departmental Building". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Departmental Building". Wellington Heritage. Wellington City Council. 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ "New government building". Dominion. 19 August 1936. Retrieved 21 July 2025 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "Now in use". Evening Post. 6 March 1942. Retrieved 21 July 2025 – via Papers Past.
- ^ New Zealand Defence Force (23 February 2007). "End of Era for Defence House". Scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
- ^ "Former defence building purchase unconditional". Radio New Zealand News. 30 July 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
- ^ a b MBIE. "Background of MBIE move" (PDF). MBIE. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
- ^ Rutherford, Hamish (3 June 2015). "MBIE admits stone sign cost $24,000 more than it originally claimed". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Defence House, Wellington at Wikimedia Commons
- Profile of the building, Architecture Now (2014)