Commercial Building

• 1911
• Building designed by Atkins and Bacon and constructed by McLean and Gray for EM Goodwin. (00053:163:8972)
• 1925
• Shop front altered. (00055:42:A3903)
• 1944
• Shop front altered. (00056:299:B23675)
• 1955
• Office altered. (00056:519:B38671)
• 1963
• Office altered. (00056:519:B38671)
• 1966
• Awning addition. (00058:468:C20117 and 00058:476:C20456)
• 1971
• Alterations to the shop. (00058:729:C33039 )
• 1977
• Major additions and alterations, including strengthening and upgrading, Architects: Fearn & Fearn; Engineers: F. Shepard & Partners; Builders: Mackintosh Bros. (00058:1126:C48682)
• 1984
• Shop front alterations. (00058:0:C66722)
• 1985
• Refurbished shop front and interior. (00059:0:D50)
• 1987
• Business additions and alterations – restaurant. (00059:115:D6932)
• 1995
• Plumbing alterations. (00061:78:12374)
• unknown
• Demolition of two buildings at rear of site. (00078:130:38485)
• unknown
• Alterations to McDonalds. (00078:122:36706)
• 1997
• New shop front. (00078:117:36027)
• 1998
• Remodel Stage 2. (00078:134:38489)
• 2002
• Stairs and mezzanine floors, new concrete floor, subdivided ground floor, shops, structural upgrade, new bifold doors and courtyards, extra floor and new roof. Glazed verandah replaces place of original curved corrugated iron. (00078:2524:94559)
• unknown
• Additional four apartments at rear above ground floor. (00078: 2919:98544)
• 2005
• Additions and alterations including a new wall and bar area, new door to toilets, new bi-fold windows to frontage, new signage. (00078:1584:135511)
• 2011
• Fit-out to create a restaurant / takeaway. (00078:3667:224184)

• unknown
• The early tenants included a mixture of largely small businesses.
• 1910
• In the 1910s and 1920s a confectioner, chemist and boot importer and a hardware store occupied the building. The longest early tenancy belonged to a branch of NZ Trawling & Fish Co. who occupied a room from the early 1920s until the 1940s.
• 1930
• George Reginald Conyngham, a hosiery & underwear store, occupied a room in the early to late 1930s. There were also various fruiters and a Popular Milk Bar and a succession of stores selling consumables. Mrs M. Trillo ran a cake shop in the 1940s, followed by a De Luxe Butchery and Deluxe Delicatessen whose occupancy lasted until the late 1950s. The Gear Meat Co. also briefly tenanted the building before moving to a new premises on 7 Courtenay Place.
• 1970
• Today the building is most associated with tenant Whitcombe & Tombs Ltd., who later became Whitcoulls, from 1954 to 1976, and with the McDonalds Restaurant from the late 1970s.

Not assessed

This is an Edwardian commercial building constructed of bricks still in their original state (unplastered or unpainted). McDonalds Restaurant is distinctive firstly because this is rare in Wellington, but also because of the prominent pattern of the four gables that form the silhouette of the building. Each gable is supported by plain pilasters, with a pair of windows between each. The windows are square headed, set in reveals with semi-circular arched openings.

The composition is authoritative and remarkably unadorned at a time when embellishment of commercial buildings was the norm. Today the first floor facade is in entirely original condition, adding texture, colour and pattern to the south side of Courtenay Place. The glazed verandah replaces the original curved corrugated iron one, and Decramastic tiles sheath the roof in place of iron. There does seem to be precious little left of this building at the rear. 

Brick masonry.

Decramastic tiles replaced the roofing iron and a glazed verandah replaced the original in corrugated iron.

The McDonald’s building is on the south side of Courtenay Place. The buildings in the immediate vicincity are diverse in nature and age but, despite some particularly intrusive modern buildings, have a high streetscape quality which contributes significantly to the heritage value and character of Courtenay Place as a whole. A characteristic of the southern side is the considerable variety in building heights, which is much more random than the north side.  The breadth of the street allows good views of the building stock on both sides of the street, although bus shelters and toilets in the middle of the street are a minor presence. At this point near the intersection with Cambridge Terrace, the principal facade of the Embassy Theatre is a significant landmark, while the houses and green swathe of Mt Victoria loom behind. 

• Architectural

  Does the item have architectural or artistic value for characteristics that may include its design, style, era, form, scale, materials, colour, texture, patina of age, quality of space, craftsmanship, smells, and sounds?

  The building is an example of Edwardian commercial architecture. It has a notable two-storey gabled façade of unembellished red brick.

• Group

  Is the item part of a group of buildings, structures, or sites that taken together have coherence because of their age, history, style, scale, materials, or use?

  The building is part of an important group of heritage buildings which together form the Courtenay Place Heritage Area. Although most of the buildings were constructed in the first half of the 20^th century, there are significant differences in age and style among some of the buildings in this group.

• Townscape

  Does the item have townscape value for the part it plays in defining a space or street; providing visual interest; its role as a landmark; or the contribution it makes to the character and sense of place of Wellington?

  The red brick façade makes a notable contribution to the streetscape of Courtenay Place.

• Association

  Is the item associated with an important person, group, or organisation?

  The building was designed by architects Atkins & Bacon.

  The building has close associations with early tenants Whitcombe & Tombs Ltd and later with Mc Donald’s Restaurants.

• Archaeological

  Does the item have archaeological value for its ability to provide scientific information about past human activity?

  There was pre-1900 human activity on this site.  Although some of the sites have been altered by rebuilding or landscaping or subdivisional change, there is archaeological value in the immediate surrounds.

• Identity Sense of place Continuity

  Is the item a focus of community, regional, or national identity? Does the item contribute to sense of place or continuity?

  The McDonald building has been part of streetscape of Courtenay Place for over 100 years and contributes to the sense of place and continuity of the Courtenay Place Heritage Area.

• Authentic

  Does the item have authenticity or integrity because it retains significant fabric from the time of its construction or from later periods when important additions or modifications were carried out?

  The building façade has had few intrusive modern alterations and additions above verandah level and retains most of the original building fabric.

• Importance

  Is the item important for any of the above characteristics at a local, regional, national, or international level?

  This building is of local importance for its contribution to the Courtenay Place Heritage Area.

Not assessed

• CT WN 339/143, Land Information New Zealand
• CT18B/804, Land Information New Zealand
• CT WN 58A/313, Land Information New Zealand
• CT WN293925. Land Information New Zealand
• Historic Places Trust, “Atkins and Bacon”, Professional Biographies.
• Kelly, Michael, and Russell Murray, Courtenay Place Heritage Area Report. Welllington City Council: Unpublished report, prepared for Plan Change 48, 2006.
• Wellington City Council, “McDonald’s Building”, Wellington Heritage Building Inventory 2001: Non-Residential Buildings. Wellington City Council, 2001, COURT 2.
• Wellington City Archives
• “9-13 Courtenay Place, four shops”, 1911, 00053:163:8972, Wellington City Archives.
• “11-13a Courtenay Place, shop front”, 1925, 00055:42:A3903, Wellington City Archives.
• ‘13 Courtenay Place, shop front”, 1944, 00056:299:B23675, Wellington City Archives.'
• “13 Courtenay Place, office alterations”, 1955, 00056:519:B38671, Wellington City Archives.
• “9-13a Courtenay Place, building - sun blind”, 1963, 00058:312:C13549, Wellington City Archives.
• “9-13a Courtenay Place, building additions – awning”, 1966, 00058:468:C20117, Wellington City Archives.
• “9-13a Courtenay Place, building additions – awning”, 1966, 00058:476:C20456, Wellington City Archives.
• “9-13a Courtenay Place, building alterations – shop”, 1971, 00058:729:C33039, Wellington City Archives.
• “9-13a Courtenay Place, additions and alterations”, 1977, 00058:1126:C48682, Wellington City Archives.
• “11-13a Courtenay Place, shop front alterations”, 1984, 00058:0:C66722, Wellington CityArchives.
• “11-13a Courtenay Place, Refurbish shop front and interior”, 1985, 00059:0:D50.
• “11-13a Courtenay Place, business additions and alterations – restaurant”, 1987, 00059:115:D6932.
• “11a Courtenay Place, plumbing alterations”, 1995, 00061:78:12374.
• “11a Courtenay Place, new shop front”, 1997, 00078:117:36027.
• “11a Courtenay Place, alterations to McDonalds”, 1997, 00078:122:36706.
• “11a Courtenay Place, demolition of two buildings at rear of site”, 1997, 00078:130:38485.
• “11a Courtenay Place, remodel, stage 2”, 1998, 00078:134:38489.
• “11a Courtenay Place, demolish stairs and mezzanine floors, new concrete floor, subdivide ground floor shops, structural upgrade, new bifold doors and courtyards, extra floor and new roof, with amendment”, 2002, 00078:2524:94559.
• “11 [11a] Courtenay Place, additions and alterations”, 2005 00078:1584:135511.
• “11a Courtenay Place. Additional four apartments at rear above ground floor”,
• “11 Courtenay Place, fitout to create a restaurant / takeaway”, 2011, 00078:3667:224184.
• Image, 2007/11:1:14.

• Inventory Report
• 1911 plans
• 1911 specifications
• 1977 plans

Not available