Guy Kingdon Natusch (7 February 1921 – 30 September 2020) was a New Zealand architect. He grew up in

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region i ...

, where he practised until his retirement in 1997.

Biography

Natusch was born in

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

in 1921, the son of architect Rene Natusch. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he served in the

Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; mi, Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa, , Sea Warriors of New Zealand) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of nine ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act ...

from 1942 to 1945 on destroyers and motor torpedo boats, serving in the North Sea and English Channel for D-Day operations. He was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

in May 1944, for good service against enemy light forces. Natusch's grandfather,

Charles Natusch Lewis Tilleard Natusch, but always known as Charles Natusch, (4 October 1859 – 16 July 1951) was a noted New Zealand architect and quantity surveyor, known particularly as a builder of fine houses for wealthy clients. Early life Born and rais ...

, had arrived in New Zealand in 1886 and founded the architectural and quantity surveying firm, Natusch & Sons. Guy Natusch was active in the firm from 1946 to 1997, working on both commercial and residential projects. His style of architecture emphasized the building's function over its appearance. He also developed a basic housing project called Solwood Houses. Following his retirement from practice, Natusch remained active as a heritage advisor to

Heritage New Zealand Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust) ( mi, Pouhere Taonga) is a Crown entity with a membership of around 20,000 people that advocate ...

, a role that he began in the late 1960s. In the

2003 New Year Honours The 2003 New Year's Honours List is one of the annual New Year Honours, a part of the British monarch's honours system, where 1 January is marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of ot ...

, Natusch was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

, for services to architecture. Natusch died on 30 September 2020, aged 99.

Noted works

*1950 Bisson House, Napier *1951 Red Cross Hall, Napier *1951 Christian Science Society, Napier *1952 Rathbone House, Waipawa *1953 War Memorial Hall, Napier *1962 Wool Exchange Building, Napier

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Natusch, Guy Kingdon 1921 births 2020 deaths New Zealand architects Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) Fellows of the New Zealand Institute of Architects New Zealand military personnel of World War II People from Hastings, New Zealand