Stephenson and Turner

The Stephenson and Meldrum partnership was founded by Arthur George Stephenson and Percy Meldrum in Melbourne in 1920. It became Stephenson, Meldrum and Turner in 1935 and Stephenson
and Turner in 1937. It opened a Sydney office in 1934, and further offices followed in Adelaide, Newcastle, Canberra, and Hong Kong. 

Stephenson and Turner developed a reputation as experts in hospital design and were invited to New Zealand to meet hospital authorities in Wellington, Dunedin and Auckland in 1935; they also designed the Commonwealth of Australia Pavilion (1939-1940) at the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition at Rongotai in Wellington.

Their first New Zealand office opened in Wellington in 1955, led by ex-Melbourne-based associate, David Dunn, and this was followed by a Dunedin office in 1957 and an Auckland office in 1960. Shell House was the first major, non-hospital, project undertaken by the Wellington office and works were completed in 1960. Other major Wellington projects include ICI House on Molesworth Street (1965), the former Bank of New South Wales on Lambton Quay (1972), The Australian High Commission (1978), BNZ on Willis Street (1984), and The Civic Administration Building (CAB) for Wellington City Council (1991).

Sir Arthur Stephenson led the practice until he was succeeded by his son Peter in 1967. It was sold to its partners in 1972 and divided into three separate regional organisations in 1984 - Victoria/New South Wales, Hong Kong and New Zealand.

 

Sources:
Balasoglou, John (Ed), Stephenson and Turner, (Auckland: Balasoglou Books, 2006)