Kurta Fish Market and Coolstore (1917 - c1990s)

The building on right in the photograph above taken in 1939 is the "Kurta Fish Market" in King Street.

A building permit was issued to J. Kurta on 4 July 1917 for a "Fish Market" on town section 645 in King Street. The estimated cost was £1165 and the builders were noted as Russell & Sons. The architects, Messenger and Griffiths, called for tenders in June 1917 to erect a 'Fish Market and Shop (in concrete) in King Street'. In September Kurta placed a notice in the Taranaki Herald advising that he had "disposed of my Restaurant Business in Devon Street to Mr Novak" and that he hoped to have his new Fish Market open by the end of October. In fact, Kurta had the building finished, and the business open, by mid-October 1917.

N.P.D.C. building files hold a plan of the building indicating that it was designed for Mr. A. Shuttleworth. However, the name on the facade is J.W. Kurta. The Taranaki Land Deed Index Books (see below) suggest that Town Section 645 was subdivided in 1880 and this portion was bought by the firm Shuttleworth Bros. In 1915 and this section was leased to J. Kurta and following Alexander Shuttleworth's (the last remaining brother) death in 1923 the deed index was closed a Certificate of Title was issued under the Land Transfer Act.   

The building on the left may have also been associated with the business. The buildings have been demolished and the empty section running between Devon and King Streets is used for car parking.

During the Taranaki Arts Festival in August 2013, the empty section was used as an exhibition space for Tiffany Singh's installation, "What is the colour of the breeze".

Related documents and plan:

Taranaki Land Deed Index I1 Page 100 Section 645.

Taranaki Land Deed Index I5 Page 547 Section 645 (Part).

Taranaki DP1998 Sheet 1 Subdivision of Section 645 (1903), ICS Pre 300,000 Cadastral Plan Index (Imaged by LINZ)