DISEÑO DE PROPUESTA

The developmental reconstruction phase began about a week after the earthquake when discussion began not just about rebuilding Napier, but about rebuilding the town with

improvements. Developmental reconstruction became the dominant recovery activity from about the middle of 1933 when replacement reconstruction was largely completed. The focus of developmental reconstruction was on a number of major projects, generally on a scale that would not have been possible before the earthquake. The business area needed to be rebuilt and land was no longer scarce. The uplift of land would provide an additional 10,000 acres once development work was completed.131 Most projects began within several years of the earthquake, and some continued or were not completed for many years beyond the 1930s. Several of these projects are discussed in other chapters in the context of reclamation schemes, urban expansion and civic improvement projects. These projects also included further development of the port, establishment of an airport, and construction of a number of significant public buildings. The phase had no definitive completion date, and some projects continued into the 1950s and 1960s.

In the early 1930s, developmental projects were sometimes promoted as a package. The

Daily Telegraph, in its special editions that were published reasonably frequently at the time, often featured a group of projects in the same issue. Topics included Marine Parade improvements, town expansion and suburban growth, development of the Breakwater Harbour and the reclamation of Ahuriri Lagoon. The regular reporting of these projects not only kept the public informed, but helped people to maintain optimism in times that were otherwise difficult, and also emphasised that the earthquake had some positive outcomes.

Following the earthquake, four buildings, once completed, might fairly be regarded as coming within the developmental reconstruction category. These were buildings that either did not exist before the 1931 earthquake, or the replacement building was on a scale that greatly exceeded its predecessor. These included, in order of completion, the Museum and Art Gallery (1933-39), the War Memorial (1939-56), the Cathedral (1931-65) and the Civic Centre (1930-1968). The dates shown include the planning and construction period, the initial date representing the date the need for the building was first identified, with the other date indicating when the building was opened for use. These buildings have had a major public role in Napier to this day, and public participation was involved to some extent in their planning and funding. Each building was in effect an individual civic improvement project, having the dual purpose of both contributing a visual statement to

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the built townscape, as well as providing a valuable amenity for citizens. Art galleries, museums, memorial buildings and civic centres have all been highlighted as desirable component parts of towns designed along City Beautiful or Garden City lines. Civic buildings of this type were always a feature of both movements as they were seen as central to providing a liveable and attractive city. The desirability of all four buildings was recognised in the 1930s, but planning and construction of three of the buildings was severely delayed by the Second World War.

The Hawke's Bay Museum and Art Gallery (Figure 5.15) opened in progressive stages in 1936, 1937 and 1939, and was designed by prominent Napier architect Louis Hay. It should be regarded as a developmental project not so much because of the building’s appearance, but because an integrated museum and art gallery was an amenity Napier did not have before the earthquake. The Athenaeum, sometimes regarded as a precursor to the museum, had more limited objectives.132 When the Bishop of Waiapu, the Rt. Rev. Herbert Williams, opened the first stage of the Museum and Art Gallery in 1936, he declared a hope that the building “will always be regarded as one of the town’s most important buildings”.133 Construction of the building was supported by public fundraising, which also included a grant from the Carnegie Trust.134 Over the years, it lost its original character as ill-fitting extensions were made, but in 2011 a major upgrade was underway, partly with the objective of restoring some of the building’s lost character.

The Napier War Memorial (Figure 5.16) was originally planned in the late 1930s as a memorial to New Zealand, marking the country’s centennial in 1940. There was considerable public discussion at the time about the form the memorial would take. The building as originally envisaged was to function as a Winter Garden, located on the Marine Parade. Plans were drawn up, but fell into abeyance during the Second World War.135 When the idea of a memorial was revived in the early 1950s, it was as a combined War and Centennial Memorial. The building had a completely new design, and the idea of a Winter Garden was abandoned. This was a major project to which the public contributed ideas as well as funds, the project being overseen by the War Memorial and Centennial Committee. This building fits the disaster recovery model as a developmental project, because the building’s prime purpose when opened in 1957 was commemorative, although the building

was also functional. Its practical amenities included a ballroom, and conference and refreshment rooms, all with commanding views of the sea.136

While the new St John’s Anglican Cathedral (Figure 5.17) might be regarded as a replacement rather than a developmental project, it was a much superior structure to its predecessor, which was destroyed in the earthquake. Its very appearance and size make the Cathedral a landmark in the central business area. The rebuilding project, covering an extended area based on the original site, took some time and was supported by extensive fund-raising. Immediately after the earthquake, the Borough Council gave permission for a temporary wooden church to be built in the brick area, initial plans for a replacement cathedral not being announced until late 1949.137 The foundation stone was laid in 1955, with the replacement cathedral completed in 1965 and consecrated in 1967. The cathedral was, and remains, the leading church in Napier.138 It was also the centre of the Waiapu diocese, although there had been an unsuccessful attempt to relocate the cathedral site to Hastings in 1948.139

The Civic Administration Building (Figure 5.18) was another developmental project, significant partly because of a protracted debate about its location. Its opening in 1968 also symbolically brought the reconstruction of Napier to a close. A new civic centre had been needed for some time. The existing Council buildings on the Marine Parade had been in use since the 1880s and had become too small for staff. These buildings had survived the earthquake, but the Council had just before the earthquake decided that new premises should be built. Not surprisingly, the Council was very busy attending to other facets of reconstruction in the 1930s and, because of the Second World War and other priorities, the replacement building idea was not revived until the 1950s.140 When the matter was considered, the issue generated much Council and community discussion. To help resolve the location issue, the Council requested a report from Professor Robert Kennedy, the foundation Professor of Planning at the University of Auckland. The Daily Telegraph

commended Council on its decision to seek expert advice, adding that Professor Kennedy was “an authority of wide renown in the sphere of town planning”.141 In his report presented in late 1959, he rejected the options previously suggested by the Council and instead proposed a new site on the Marine Parade, adding that the centre could form part of future Marine Parade improvements. He dismissed the other sites largely because they had

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insufficient space for off-street parking and, for the site suggested at Clive Square West, because of the character of surrounding land, which also included the Railway Station.142 Business interests had other views about the most suitable site, and sought to have a greater say in the decision-making process. Both the Chamber of Commerce and the Real Estate Institute preferred the Clive Square West site, because it was more central to the city than the site recommended by Professor Kennedy. The Institute also thought that the Clive Square site would help rejuvenate an area that was run down, whilst the President of the Chamber noted that this site had been supported by a Swedish town planning expert, unnamed in the newspaper report, who had visited a little earlier.143 The Council’s final decision supported neither expert, with the Council deciding that the Civic Centre was to be built in Hastings Street, although not too distant from the Marine Parade site recommended by Professor Kennedy. The Professor was a little disappointed with the decision, as he believed that the Council had missed out on an opportunity “for adding a building of architectural distinction and merit to the Marine Parade.”144 The building was opened in September 1968, and has been joined since by the Public Library and other public buildings on the same block. In his report, Professor Kennedy expressed the view that the Civic Administration Building would be greatly enhanced if other important public buildings were located on adjacent sites. Just before the building opened, the Daily Telegraph published the following words as part of a feature on the new building:

The opening of Napier’s Civic Administration Centre on Monday is symbolic of the complete re-birth of a city, like the fabled rise of the phoenix from the ashes. From the rubble of the 1931 earthquake, the spirit, faith and courage of the citizens of Napier have re-created a city more expansive, vigorous and progressive than most would have envisaged. The Civic Centre, with its soaring walls and gleaming surfaces, seems to complete a process of reconstruction that has engaged the citizens of Napier for more than a generation.145

Several other buildings could also have been regarded as developmental rather than replacement. These include the Municipal Theatre on Tennyson Street, and the iconic T&G Building with its dome clock (Figure 5.19), located on the Marine Parade. There was considerable public participation in planning the replacement theatre, including a competition to design the building, won by Louis Hay, but the theatre that eventually opened in 1938 was designed by the Council’s architect J.T. Watson.146 In contrast, the T&G Building, completed in 1936, was planned and built with minimal Council

involvement other than the approval of building plans.147 Nonetheless, the building has assumed a public role because of its distinctive dome structure and the inclusion of a clock for the benefit of those visiting downtown Napier.

The commemorative aspect of recovery began shortly after the earthquake, with the holding of funerals for the deceased and other memorial services.148 One year after the earthquake, a memorial service was held at McLean Park.149 If the focus, however, is on building commemorative structures, then the commemorative aspect of the developmental reconstruction phase began much later, probably with the planning and building of the colonnade and memorial arches on the Marine Parade (Figure 5.20). The Marine Parade improvements were formally opened in 1934, but additions continued thereafter, and epitomize City Beautiful and civic improvement ideas (see Chapter 7).

In January 1933, the rebuilding of Napier was celebrated by the New Napier Carnival. Although reconstruction was incomplete, the intention was to show New Zealand what Napier had achieved in the two years immediately after the earthquake.150 The Daily Telegraph described the Carnival as a magnificent spectacle, comprising a week of celebration that focused on the beauty of new buildings, the planning of streets, and other improvements.151 At the Carnival, the Governor-General, Lord Bledisloe, commented positively on the attractiveness of the reconstructed town – “the widened streets, the tasteful colours and the pleasing homogeneity of the buildings themselves.”152

Earthquake commemorations have continued over the years, and from the 1980s have been augmented by activities undertaken by the Art Deco Trust.153 In February 2006, the 75th Anniversary of the Hawke's Bay Earthquake was held, with various events taking place throughout Hawke's Bay, and, in 2011, the 80th Anniversary was commemorated in Napier and Hastings. Over the years, the earthquake and its aftermath have resulted in various books, fact and fiction, and other memorabilia (Figure 5.21). The display about the earthquake at the Hawke's Bay Museum remains the museum’s principal attraction. The commemorative activity that has continued over the last fifty years supports the contention by Zeilinga de Boer and Sanders that commemoration of a major earthquake, through books, poetry, films and other activities, can last for decades or even centuries.

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The work of the Art Deco Trust has focused on the preservation of buildings erected in the 1930s, some of which have been demolished but most of which are intact. The collection of Art Deco buildings in Napier was proposed as a possible World Heritage Site in 2007, with a decision still to be made.154 The Trust and City Council were also collaborating on ways in which the Art Deco character of central Napier can be maintained. In the 1950s and 1960s, when the buildings that made New Napier in the 1930s were starting to lose a little of their gloss, there was little to indicate that, some fifty years later, the same buildings would be a central part of the city’s heritage and also a magnet for tourism. This was, in some respects, an accidental outcome of the reconstruction of Napier, and one that was not evident until many years after reconstruction was complete.

Despite the various post-earthquake accomplishments, some matters were not pursued as vigorously as one might have expected. This applied particularly to the preparation of a town-wide town planning scheme under the Town-planning Act 1926, or district scheme under the Town and Country Planning Act 1953. It is true that most other New Zealand local authorities that were required to prepare schemes were a little slow in getting started.155 Napier was given a golden opportunity to do this after the earthquake, but was only partly successful. As explained above, Napier’s first town planning scheme was very limited in scope, applying only to the business area and to road improvements. The Council adopted a similar philosophy in producing sectional schemes for new suburbs, but included in each of them a much broader range of planning provisions. However, the established part of Napier was left without a proper scheme for over 30 years.

In the early 1940s, some preliminary work was carried out for a scheme that would cover the established area of Napier. In a report considered by the Council in 1940, the Borough Engineer, W.D. Corbett, explained how Napier could be zoned into separate areas as a preliminary to preparing a full town planning scheme. The report outlined the location of the separate areas, which generally correspond to those shown in Figure 5.22, produced shortly afterwards. That map divided Napier into eight zones: shopping, light industrial, heavy industrial, dangerous goods, residential, schools, open space, and beach improvements. Residential areas were further classified into six categories. The map, to a large extent, reflected existing use patterns, although an underlying intention was to prevent future mixing of incompatible uses.156 The Daily Telegraph commented that the