Facelift preserves historic hotel

(Heritage Matters, Spring 2005)

One of Dunedin's oldest hotels has been given an extensive make-over. David Killick reports.

Today's travelers are seeking something more than bland buildings and conformity - hotels that look much the same no matter what country you are in, where the only clue to geography is the name attached to the smooth glazed facade. They want somewhere with character.

Dunedin's newly refurbished Mercure Hotel, on the corner of Princes Street and Manse Street just south of The Octagon, is happy to oblige in a city that prides itself on preserving the best of its heritage buildings.

The hotel, one of the city's oldest, reopened in May following a 18-month $2 million-plus dollar refurbishment by Auckland-based Group CDA Architecture. While the lavishly ornate exterior has been painstakingly restored, inside is all new to meet 21st century standards of comfort and safety.

The 50-room hotel has a restaurant and bar and two conference rooms catering for up to 250 people: the functional Bracken Room, and the Chancellor Lounge and Room, which retains stained glass windows and opulent chandeliers.

A small balcony on the Princes Street side sits atop a above a sculpted eagle. The Queen stood on the balcony and waved to crowds during her 1953 New Zealand visit.

Both the hotel's history and architecture set it apart. A plaque in the lobby tells the story: The hotel opened in July1862 as the Moir's Family Hotel. John Wain then purchased the hotel from Andrew Moir in 1864 and renamed it Wain's Hotel. The name is still engraved on the front.

In 1878, a Dunedin architectural firm redesigned the hotel, with five storeys on Princes Street and three on Manse Street. The cost was 7,855 pounds and 12 shillings: a princely sum indeed at that time, but undoubtedly warranted considering Dunedin's status as one of New Zealand's richest cities.

Since the 1870s, many groups and societies have made the hotel their meeting place. Dunedin's first press club occupied a suite of rooms, setting up a library and social room for editors and reporters. One can imagine this august group of men - there were unlikely to be any women - gathering over a convivial glass of porter to discuss the affairs of the province, the nation and the wider world.

The hotel's façade continues to delight visitors. The sculptures are attributed to L.J. Godfrey, the master carver brought to New Zealand by William Larnach to work on Larnach Castle in the 1870s.

These sculptures, carved from Oamaru stone, are intricately detailed and on a par with some of the finest facades in Europe. Riga, in Latvia, for example, is particularly rich in ornately carved stone facades, and there are many more in other cities.

The Mercure sculptures depict Neptune, the king of the sea, and a mermaid on the right. On the left are believed to be Neptune's offspring, Pelias and Nelius.

Between these creatures are the Prince of Wales feathers inscribed with the words "Qui Va La?" - "Who goes there?" Further up is the magnificent carved eagle with its wings spread in flight, just beneath the first floor balcony.

The hotel faces east and looks splendid early in the morning when the facade catches the first rays of the sun. It also looks impressive when illuminated at night, catching the attention of photographers on the other side of busy Princes Street.

The hotel is now owned by Grand Wain's Hotel Limited and managed by Accor (which is based in France) as the Mercure Hotel Dunedin. Hotel general manager Brian Townsend says he is thrilled with the restoration.

"Very happy. It's come up stunning. We definitely wanted to retain the heritage of the building, but have a very contemporary, sophisticated hotel that reflected the hotel brand."

The hotel begins its third century in style.

At the time of writing, The Mercure has an opening special with rooms priced from $120 plus GST per night, room only. Bookings: (03) 477-1145.

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