Historic St Mary's Presbytery, Wanganui, demolished

Despite the best efforts of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (NZHPT), work began in mid-September to demolish St Mary’s Presbytery in Wanganui.

The Presbytery, built in 1913, was this year listed as a Category I historic place, NZHPT believing the building had ‘special or outstanding historical or cultural heritage significance or value’.

Unfortunately, after negotiations that started in 2004 with St Mary’s Church officials – and discussions with the Wanganui District Council – this outstanding landmark could not be saved.

The Presbytery’s demolition is a reminder that while NZHPT’s role is to identify and protect heritage, protection for historic places comes from councils listing properties on District Plans.

The Presbytery had great potential for adaptive re-use, with a local business trying, unsuccessfully, to negotiate a lease with the Church.

Designed by noted New Zealand architect John Sidney Swan, the Presbytery was a distinctive Wanganui landmark. It featured considerable architectural qualities that complemented the historical associations with the area.

NZHPT completed extensive research in the registration process to confirm Category I status.

With assistance from the Wanganui District Council, a seismic strengthening report was commissioned. The report found the costs of repair to be considerably less than church estimates.

Ultimately the council opted against issuing a heritage order, paving the way for the Presbytery’s demise.

However, another landmark’s loss was averted when the Wanganui District Council refused a resource consent application to have the Native Land Court Building demolished. The building was last week confirmed as a Category I historic place.