Restoration Project
Rendering of the restored (former) Women’s Rest, Gavin Cooper Architect
The Art Deco Trust and Napier City Council are collaborating on a significant restoration initiative that aims to rejuvenate and appropriately repurpose the Category 1 heritage building known as the Memorial Square Community Rooms, Napier, (formerly known as the “Women’s Rest”), into a vibrant community facility.
A brief history of the Women’s Rest
Collection of Hawke’s Bay Museums Trust, Ruawharo Tā-ū-rangi, [7866]
Designed in 1924 by esteemed Napier architect James Augustus ‘Louis’ Hay in the Prairie Style and heavily influenced by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, the building served as a sanctuary for Napier’s women, mothers, and children at a time when there were no public toilets or facilities for women in the town.
The facility was conceived as a utilitarian war memorial and companion to the city’s Cenotaph and was formally opened to the public on Anzac Day, 25 April 1926, at which time the reserve was renamed ‘Memorial Square’.
This Category 1 historic place holds special historical significance as a highly unusual utilitarian First World War memorial, alongside the purely monumental Cenotaph.
Collection of Hawke’s Bay Museums Trust, Ruawharo Tā-ū-rangi, [7256m]
In the wake of the devastating 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake, speedy repairs allowed the Women’s Rest to serve as the heart of Tin Town, effectively New Zealand’s first shopping mall.
Collection of Hawke’s Bay Museums Trust, Ruawharo Tā-ū-rangi, [3278]
Over the years the building has hosted various groups, including the Merchant Navy Club, a ballet studio, and the Citizens’ Advice Bureau, before its closure in 2013 due to seismic concerns.
The Art Deco Trust is leading the restoration of this building with the generous support from donors and supporters.
The goal is to restore the integrity of Louis Hay’s original Art Deco-era design and allow the building to once again serve as Memorial Square Community Rooms, a community facility, and the home of the Art Deco Trust.
Rendering of the restored (former) Women’s Rest, Gavin Cooper Architect
The restoration of Napier’s (former) Women’s Rest is being undertaken by Art Deco Trust in partnership with Napier City Council.
The project has been generously supported by:
Napier City Council
Lottery Grants Board Environment and Heritage Fund
Earnshaw Holdings Ltd
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the following individuals and organisations:
Gavin Cooper Architect
Ann Galloway Heritage Architect
Halcyon Project Management
Alexander Construction
Almac
MCC Cost Consulting
Media Mint
Mitchell Daysh
Moth Light
Panton Consulting
Resene Paint NZ
Smart Fire
Structural Concepts
Wallace Development Company
For more details about this restoration project and how to become involved, please contact:
Jeremy Smith
Heritage Manager / GM
Art Deco Trust
06 835 0022 x5
hm@artdeconapier.com
Please click here to make a donation in support of the restoration project
For more detail about the significance of the Napier (former) Women’s Rest, visit: