The ClockTower, University of Auckland is a New Zealand
Category 1 Historic Place built from 1923 to 1926 and was formally known as the Old Arts Building.
History
The ClockTower at the
University of Auckland
, mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work
, established = 1883; years ago
, endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021)
, budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021)
, chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant
, vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...
was designed by
Roy Alstan Lippincott, a Chicago-trained architect and brother-in-law of
Walter Burley Griffin
Walter Burley Griffin (November 24, 1876February 11, 1937) was an American architect and landscape architect. He is known for designing Canberra, Australia's capital city and the New South Wales towns of Griffith, New South Wales, Griffith and ...
.
In 1921, Lippincott and draughtsman
Edward F. Billson won the competition for the design of the then
Auckland University College Arts Building out of 44 entries.
It was then constructed between 1923 and 1926 by
Fletcher Construction Co.
The construction was largely funded by a central government grant with additional public subscriptions.
The building has housed departments of Arts, Architecture, Law, Music and the Library as well as the University Hall, and limited student amenities in the rear wing.
Architecture
The building consists of a main block with the famous clock tower that it is known by, and a connecting wing on the rear.
They were carried out in "an elegant Arts and Crafts interpretation of
Perpendicular Gothic
Perpendicular Gothic (also Perpendicular, Rectilinear, or Third Pointed) architecture was the third and final style of English Gothic architecture developed in the Kingdom of England during the Late Middle Ages, typified by large windows, four-c ...
" style.
It was faced with stone from
Mount Somers
Mount Somers ( mi, Te Kiekie) is a small town in Canterbury, New Zealand, nestled in the foothills of the Southern Alps. The population in the 2001 census was 2,307. Due to its scenic location, it has seen growth in the number of holiday homes ...
and
Oamaru
Oamaru (; mi, Te Oha-a-Maru) is the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, it is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is south of Timaru and north of Dunedin on the Pacific coast; State Highway 1 and the railway ...
.
The tower, which is 54-meters tall, and was inspired by the
Tom Tower of
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...
.
In the ornamentation of the building, there is representations of native flora and fauna including flax-seed pods, ponga fronds, kākā and kea.
Lippincott also embraced the idea of "the University becoming 'a small botanical garden'" in landscaping the grounds ground the building with multiple native plants, including
manuka and
kōwhai.
The interior is octagonal, vaulted and there are mosaic floors and
piers Piers may refer to:
* Pier, a raised structure over a body of water
* Pier (architecture), an architectural support
* Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name)
* Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...
.
The mosaic floor in the foyer underneath the tower is particularly notable.
Critique
The building was radically different to existing architecture in Auckland, and was "much criticised for being insufficiently 'English'" and "out of harmony with our national character" including by the architect of the Education Board.
A. R. D. Fairburn
Arthur Rex Dugard Fairburn (2 February 1904 – 25 March 1957), commonly known by his initials A. R. D. Fairburn and otherwise as Rex, was a New Zealand poet who was born and died in Auckland.
Fairburn was born in Auckland in 1904. His grandfa ...
stated that the design "would scare old ladies in the park."
The Minister of Education
James Parr James Parr may refer to:
* James Parr (baseball) (born 1986), American baseball player
* James Parr (politician) (1869–1941), New Zealand lawyer and politician
* Jim Parr
James Gordon Parr (May 26, 1927 – April 5, 2000) was an English-Ca ...
suggested that it might look better without the tower.
The central tower was also criticised for being too ornate and the buttresses too plain.
Lippincott explained that the tower was “the culminating feature, symbolic of the spiritual aspect of university ideals”.
Lippincott defended the design:
“if we turn to Nature as we find her in this fascinating land…we shall produce a building and a tower —not British, surely, but one that shall belong much more intimately to us here in Auckland…and by the same token would be of much greater and more lasting interest to New Zealander and visitor alike”.
Modifications
The building has been refurbished, modified and cleaned on several occasions. In the 1960s, the interior of the main building was modified after the student union building was constructed.
Between 1985 and 1988, the main wing was renovated and strengthened, and the tower was braced with steel and concrete filigree replaced with fibreglass in many places to reduce weight.''
''
There was also the installation of steel shear walls and diaphragms.
This work received an award from the Institute of Architects.
Recent use
The ClockTower has come to symbolise the University.
It now is home to the Vice-Chancellor’s Office, the Equity Office, parts of Academic Services, the Great Hall and the Council Room of the University of Auckland, along with several lecture theatres used for teaching.
The TV show
MasterMind New Zealand was filmed in the building in 2016.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:ClockTower, University Of Auckland
Auckland CBD
Buildings and structures completed in 1926
Buildings and structures in Auckland
Buildings and structures of the University of Auckland
Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic places in the Auckland Region
Learning Quarter