Eltham Municipal Buildings (1911)

The Municipal Buildings are located in Stanners Street and this two-storey building was designed by the architects Rough & Dufill. It was constructed of reinforced concrete and erected in 1911. 

The architects reported to the Eltham Borough Council on 25 February 1911 that progress was 'satisfactory'. An advertisement in the Hawera & Normanby Star on 21 September advised that the Eltham County Council offices had moved to the new building as of 19 September 1911.

The Taranaki Herald reported later in the year (19 December 1911) that the cost of the new Town Hall and Municipal Buildings had gone £2,700 over budget.

The building faced an uncertain future in the early 1990s with the local community board polling residents on whether to save or sell the building. In the end extensive renovations were carried out under the supervision of the firm Cowie, Rockell & Chong. The building then served the Eltham district as a service centre until 2002.

The building was closed in 2018 due to its low earthquake risk rating. The Eltham-Kaponga Community Board proposed selling the building for a nominal fee if the buyer was prepared to strengthen it. The alternative may have been demolition.

It was reported on 1 December 2021 (Taranaki Daily News) that Pātea-based property developer, Dean Martin, had purchased the building. He plans to renovate and strengthen the building, retaining as many of the original features as possible. 

The building is listed as a Category 2 Historic Place with Heritage New Zealand and featured in the Eltham Heritage Inventory (2002). It also featured in Kelvin Day's 'Of passing interest' series on 6 August 2012. 

(Plans held by Puke Ariki - ARC2004-628)