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Grey Street, Tauranga (Place)

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Old Tauranga Post Office, 1938– (Place)

SummaryThe building often referred to as the “Former Post Office” opened on 1 December 1938. Located on the corner of Spring and Grey Streets, Tauranga, it was built to rehouse the expanding postal department, which had formerly been located in the Government Buildings (1906- ) on Harrington/Willow Streets.

The building was designed by well-known architects Edgecombe and White of Hamilton, under Government Architect John T. Mair, in the stripped Classical style with Art Deco decorative motifs such as stepping, fluting, wave forms and flagstaffs. It was constructed of reinforced concrete to meet earthquake resistance requirements, faced with New Zealand marble to the ground floor and Cullamix plaster above, with ornamental bronze grilles and a Royal Coat of Arms over the Spring Street entrance. The interior featured a marble-lined vestibule, walnut panelling, and a terrazzo staircase, the latter surviving intact.

In 1967 an extension was added to the building. In 1987, the post office services were moved next door into the extension. In 1991 it was sold as surplus by New Zealand Post to the National Bank, which remodelled the premises by relocating the main entrance from Spring Street to Grey Street, constructing a one-storey addition on Spring Street, replacing the original ground-floor joinery with plate-glass windows, and installing a glazed canopy. Rebranded as ANZ in 2012, the branch closed in 2024, leaving the building vacant.SourcesMatthews & Matthews Architects Ltd., in association with Rorke, J., Gainsford, J., Truttman, L., Skidmore, R. A., & Associates. (2008). Central Tauranga Heritage Study: Part Two: Inventory and Record Forms. Tauranga City Council and Environment Bay of Plenty. Pp. 1-4. Retrieved: 31/01/2024A Heritage Assessment of the Old Tauranga Post Office (1998)

Photographs

New seat outside Tauranga Post Office

Haua's blacksmith's shop c 1940

Progress on extension to Post Office

Tauranga Post Office extensions

Stormwater drain in Grey St

Stormwater drain in Grey Street

Renovations at Tga. Post Office

Grey Street

Grey Street 1938

Post Office c. 1940

Stories - Articles

How the Telegraph Arrived in Tauranga

Post Office Provided Communication Link for Early Settles - by Noela Stevens

Stories - Events

The Emergence of the Postal Service in Tauranga

Publication Collections

A Heritage Assessment of the Old Tauranga Post Office (1998)

Our People (authority)

McElhinney, Emmet Henry, 1921-1999 (Person)

Usage

Kaitiakitanga StatementWe ask that, in addition to normal copyright and privacy considerations, users of our heritage resources uphold the mana and dignity of the people, communities and places depicted within.CopyrightTe Ao Mārama - Tauranga City LibrariesLicenseCC BY 4.0AcknowledgementTe Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries, Old Tauranga Post Office, 1938– (Place)

Known Date/s

Date Built1st December 1938Date Occupied1st December 1938

Location

Map Address1, Grey Street, Tauranga, 3110LocationCorner of Grey Street and Spring Street, Tauranga.Latitude/Longitude^[1]

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Other Item(s)Grey Street, Tauranga (Place)

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AuthorTe Ao Mārama - Tauranga City LibrariesType of ContributionLibrary authority

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Old Tauranga Post Office, 1938– (Place)