Heritage Inventory 418 QSA3 a & B Bing Harris & Co 20 Taupo Quay
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Whanganui District Heritage Inventory Item 418 Sculpture and Painting Studios 20 Taupo Quay, Whanganui Former Name(s) of Building: Bing Harris & Co. Legal Description: Part Section 73, Town of Wanganui Certificate of Title: WN 160/200 and Transfers 61479, 92917 and 99116 re party walls Current Owner: Whanganui District Council Original Owner: Frederick C Saphir Date: QSA3a: 1903; QSA3B: 1913; altered 1994/96 Architect/Designer: QSA3a: Andrew McFarlane; QSA3b: Unknown; 1994/96 alterations: Southcombe McLean Location of original plans: WDC/BSM Group Architects for 1994/96 alterations Builder: QSA3a: Unknown; QSA3b: Bland & Knight; 1994/96 alterations: CHECK Status: District Plan Class: Contributory, in Old Town Conservation Area Architect: The son of a Paisley handloom weaver, Andrew McFarlane (1842-1925) emigrated to Wanganui in 1859 and established a business as a builder and contractor in partnership with John Alexander. As well as building operations, the firm undertook railway construction, including the railway between Waikanae and Paekakariki. In 1901, Andrew McFarlane decided to retire from the building trade and announced that he was now available to prepare plans and specifications for buildings. Although not trained as an architect, his long experience as a builder gave him the necessary expertise to embark on this new career. Buildings he designed in Wanganui from 1901 onwards include Berkeley Buildings in Guyton Street; Meteor Printers in Ridgway Street and the Mangamahu church, a contract he would have been given as he was a staunch member Bing, Harris and Co Page 1 zxy397 of St Paul’s Presbyterian Church. Frequent tender notices for houses indicate he was a popular choice as architect in the period up to the First World War. History: Of the site: 1853: Section 73, Town of Wanganui, Crown Grant to William Hair. 1885: Charles Hart Ashforth, Financial Agent purchases the site, pt Sect 73. M Vallier, bootmaker, is noted in 1883 HI Jones Almanack, but not found pn Valuation Rolls. Clearly there was a shop on the site, as shown in all early photographs of Taupo Quay. The land is later mortgaged to Daniel McGregor, John Henson and James Henson, 1889-1901. 1900/01: Borough Council Rates Books give John Henson as owner/occupier of shops on this part of Sect 73, valued at £32. 24 Feb 1902: Frederick Charles Saphir, Commerical Traveller, buys the property. Saphir had been in New Zealand since 1886 and started to represent Bing Harris and Co as a commercial traveller in 1890. Bing Harris & Co was established in 1858 by Wolf Harris when he started importing goods to Dunedin from Melbourne. A partnership with a Mr Bing was shortlived, but his name was retained for the life of the company. Wolf Harris married Elizabeth Nathan in 1871 and later went to London where he acted as buyer for the company with local managers in New Zealand. Wolf Harris returned to Dunedin, where he endowed the University of Otago with a chair in Physiology; he is also commemorated in the Wolf Harris fountain in Dunedin’s Botanic Gardens. The firm’s fortunes began to crumble by 1914, but having a London office was a great advantage during the War. After the Second World War, Bing Harris had to start manufacturing goods because of import restrictions; the Wanganui base had an important role in this initiative (see below). In the 1930s, Bing Harris had purchased Macky Logan Caldwell and gained an entrée into the Auckland market; in 1973, they took over their main opposition – Sargood’s – and branched out into other manufacturing fields, including car assembly and parts. Subsequently, Brierly Industries took on a major shareholding interest in Bing Harris and wound up the company in 1978, disposing of all its assets. Of the building: 2 Jan 1903: Andrew McFarlane publishes his tender notice in the Wanganui Herald for a “warehouse, brick and wood, Taupo Quay for FC Saphir, Esq.” This is the front portion of the Bing Harris building (QSA3a), which replaced the old shop on the site. 17 June 1903: Mr FC Saphir moves into his new premises on Taupo Quay. The Wanganui Herald notes that Matthew Russell is leasing the “second portion” of Saphir’s building. The new building is valued at £60 in the 1903/04 Borough Council Rates Book. Bing, Harris and Co Page 2 zxy397 1905: FC Saphir resigns as manager of Bing Harris in Wanganui, after 15 years with the firm. He sets up on his own account as a commercial traveller, having purchased the buildings next door (see QSA4). This was a period when Wanganui was an important centre for commercial travellers; Saphir became Treasurer of the local Commercial Travellers and Warehousemen’s Club, which became the Wanganui Commercial Club. 1906: The new manager of Bing Harris & Co in Wanganui is David Meldrum. Although he was born in Northland, Meldrum was educated in Scotland before returning to NZ and Auckland Grammar. He first came to Wanganui in 1890 when he managed McArthur & Co, but went to Dunedin in 1901 to work for Bing Harris & Co. He returned to manage the Wanganui branch in 1906 and remained in that post for 30 years until his retirement in 1936. As well as his involvement in the warehousing business, Meldrum was an expert sportsman, being a champion golfer as well as a keen canoeist and horserider. In 1895, he had been one of a party that made a record canoeing trip from the Wanganui Rowing Club to Pipiriki and the following year he made an epic horseback journey of 196 miles and then reached the summit of Ruapehu. He died in Wanganui in 1957 aged 90. March 1907: Bing Harris & Co was one of the main warehouses in Wanganui, together with Sargood, Son & Ewen, Ross & Glendining and Archibald Clark – all of whom announced public holidays for the Wanganui Regatta and Easter, at a time when such holidays were not always noticed. 1913: Bland & Knight, builders based in Taupo Quay, publish a tender notice for removal of a cottage to make room for additions to Bing Harris & Co’s warehouse. This would have been the building shown at the rear of the site on the 1908 Insurance Map. The building permit was issued on 19 June for the warehouse additions, costing £1,100. Since no tender notice has as yet been found naming an architect for this work, it is likely that the builders designed the alterations. The bricks in the rear wall of the building were almost certainly reused to build the extension walls. 1930s: The façade of the building would have been altered after the Napier earthquake. At the time, the upper parapet would have been removed and the Taupo Quay façade given a plaster treatment in Art Deco style. The ground floor windows may have been replaced at this time, or in 1946 when Chilco moved into the building (see below). 1946: The Wanganui company established in May 1943 as Children’s Garments Ltd became Chilco and moved into the Bing Harris building. Chilco had a 50% partnership arrangement with Bing Harris at this time, with the latter firm having responsibility for the distribution of the goods manufactured. Bing Harris needed to move into manufacturing goods because of import restrictions at the time and the Chilco operation was the first factory it set up in New Zealand. Sir Jack Harris, in his 1996 history of the firm, commented that Chilco employed a staff of around 150, but things became more difficult when competition developed and the Unions Bing, Harris and Co Page 3 zxy397 moved in “with restrictive practices.” There were a number of garment factories in Wanganui at this time, and Chilco expanded its business rapidly, recruiting many of its factory workers from the Wanganui Technical College during the 1950s. It produced “Arrow” shirts for boys and men, women’s and children’s underwear and nightwear and “Springmaid” frocks and “Boston” blouses for women. In 1947, Chilco had its main factory on Bell Street, adding to the building in 1958 next to Repertory Theatre (later the Ginza building), but the cutting department remained in the Bing Harris building on Taupo Quay, as did the main stock rooms. Chilco made minor alterations to the Bing Harris building in 1946, including erecting a new fire escape and conveniences. 1980: Chilco closed its Wanganui operations, suffering a loss of $250,000 by April of this year. The Taupo Quay building was put up for sale, as were the Bell Street premises, with a potential buyer being announced in the Herald on 3 July. The Wanganui Darts League purchased the building in October 1980. 1990: Roy Middleton purchased the building, which was vacant at the time. 1993: Quayside Arts Centre buys the building and work commences to rebuild and strengthen it to serve as studios and classrooms. 1994/96: Work for Quay School of the Arts, included rebuilding the rear part (QSA3b). 1997: Wanganui District Council purchases the building. Description of Heritage Features: The front building on Taupo Quay (QSA3a): Exterior: This two-storey masonry building includes the Taupo Quay façade that has been subject to 1930s “modernisation” in Art Deco style. Upper parapet and windows surrounds evident in old photographs would have been removed at this time. The front door appears to be original, but the lower windows have been replaced, perhaps in the 1930s or later. The first floor windows are original double-hung sashes. The original side brick wall is still in place with some of the early steel cross-braces. Interior: Brick walls are exposed at both sides and one original cast iron column remains, with its Corinthian top. Most of the timber floors are original on the ground floor, and those throughout the first floor.