C.A. Wilkinson's Building, St Aubyn Street/Puke Ariki (1922)

This building was located on St. Aubyn Street and built in 1922 for C.A. Wilkinson's Ltd as a general produce and hardware store. It was designed by the firm Messenger, Griffiths & Taylor and the contractors were Julian & Son Ltd., with an estimated cost of £1,400.

Charles Anderson Wilkinson (1868-1956) was an Ōākura-born businessman and politician. He opened his first store in Eltham, before expanding to Hāwera, Stratford and New Plymouth. Wilkinson represented the Egmont electorate for 22 years and was made a C.B.E. (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in 1951.

In 1945 the building was leased to H.N. Rowe Ltd. as a warehouse. Around 1964 it was purchased by the adjoining National Dairy Association (NDA) and in the 1980s Gilmour's Auctions operated from here. For a few years after that it was briefly a craft market and art gallery. 

In 1988 the New Plymouth City Council purchased six prime inner city sections fronting St Aubyn and Ariki Streets.  When a decision was later made to build Puke Ariki Library and Museum, all the buildings on the site were demolished except for the façade of C.A. Wilkinson's Building which was incorporated into the foyer design of the north wing (museum).

Related documents:

Tender Advertisement (Taranaki Herald 16 November 1921)

Tender Successful (Taranaki Daily News 26 November 1921)

Council buys prime site (Taranaki Herald 16 July 1988)

Buildings soon to go in Taranaki Museum expansion (Daily News 28 August 1996)

Puke Ariki wall staying put (Daily News 28 September 2001)