Work resumes to expose bluestone façade on heritage building in Timaru

Tuesday, 24 June 2025

Scaffolding went up around the heritage bluestone building, which was built for the Union Bank of Australia in 1877, on Monday.

Work to restore one of Timaru’s oldest buildings will continue this week, with stonemasons to start work to remove a façade covering the front of the bluestone building.

Originally built in 1877 for the Union Bank of Australia, 117 Stafford St sits amongst some of the town’s oldest heritage buildings and has undergone a major restoration inside.

Scaffolding went up around the building, which is owned by Timaru District Council’s holdings company, Timaru District Holdings Limited (TDHL), on Monday.

TDHL general manager Frazer Munro said the work to expose the original bluestone exterior was expected to take about a couple of months.

TDHL general manager Frazer Munro looks at the façade of the building after parts of the original bluestone exterior were exposed late last year. Work to remove the rest of the covering will start this week.

During restoration work last year, scaffolding was put up along the front of the building to enable work, including repairs to windows, to be done, and at the time they had investigated the removal of the covering, he said.

“While the scaffold was up we took the opportunity to do the test removal patches to get an idea of how hard the plaster was and how best to take it off.

“TDHL did not initially intend on undertaking the façade works at this stage but on encouragement from our shareholder (the council), we have decided to complete it now,” Munro said.

TDHL chief executive Frazer Munro has been overseeing the restoration of the bluestone building that originally housed the Union Bank of Australia.

He also confirmed a new tenant for the building, which houses the TDHL offices, with the council’s business development and tourism agency, Venture Timaru, to move in.

“They will be moving in later this year and will occupy the ground floor,” he said.

The move will bring the council’s two wholly owned subsidiary companies under the same roof, with Venture Timaru currently leasing office space on Sefton St.

Prior to the arrival of the new tenants, Munro said work would be done to upgrade the ground floor.

The Venture Timaru office will move from its location on Sefton St to the TDHL owned property at 117 Stafford St later this year.

“The bathroom will be relocated, and some upgrades like painting, flooring, electrical upgrades and a kitchenette.”

That work would coincide with the façade restoration and the last of the earthquake strengthening required, which had been programmed to be done last year, he said.

The building was wrapped in plastic on Monday afternoon ahead of the work, which is expected to take a couple of months.

Munro said TDHL was pleased to have a tenant lined up for the space, and still had other offices available upstairs, “but obviously with the façade works under way we are not seeking tenants at this stage due to the disruption”.

Asked about its new office space, Munro said it was great for the staff to have a base and for the board to have a regular place to meet.

“We are also thankful that we have our shareholder’s support to restore the façade which is a really exciting project that, combined with the ground floor tenancy, helps breathe some life back into the southern end of Stafford St.”

The building was one of a row of properties purchased by TDHL in September 2018, as part of a plan to group a large chunk of land in the town’s CBD and offer it up for a large-scale development

Last last year, the company put four of those properties, which neighbour 117 Stafford, on the market and in March it was confirmed they had been sold to Rooney Holdings.

The properties include the former Majestic Theatre and former National Mortgage & Agency House and were sold for $737,000.