Coronation Bathhouse, Queenstown, New Zealand

Coronation Bathhouse, Queenstown, New Zealand

Description: The Bathhouse was built in 1911 to commemorate the coronation of King George V.
It was built by John Salmond at a cost of £315 – about $55,000 now – with the distinctive crown added by another contractor.
It began as a fashionable bathhouse, complete with changing stalls, jetty and diving platforms. Officially opened in March 1912, it became a popular public changing room and children’s play area.
But in the 1960s, when a town swimming pool was built, the bathhouse fell into disuse. It then became a summer teahouse for students and was also later used by the Wakatipu Rowing Club, which tacked on an addition.
By the late 70s, the building was dilapidated and needed major restoration. The council had planned to demolish it in 1988 but the Department of Conservation and the Historic Places Trust replaced rotten timber.
By 1993, all that remained of the original structure was the central octagon. It was run-down, subject to vandalism and vulnerable to flooding.
The council offered the building for commercial lease and the project was taken on by local heritage architect Jackie Gillies, who restored and transformed it into her studio.
Then in 1996, Gillies converted the bathhouse into a restaurant, reinstating the original changing room wings in a new form and adding a kitchen.
Restaurateur Guy Evatt took over the building, also raising the structure by about 50cms to lift it above the flood line and installing an underfloor wine cellar.
Evatt was followed as restaurant operator by Ben Chardome and now Brown (2011).
Source: www.scene.co.nz

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Keywords: New Zealand, Queenstown, Wakatipu, www.bathhouse.co.nz, bathhouse, town, beach, water, people, architecture, King George V., building, restaurant, Coronation Bathhouse

Exif: Exposure: 1/60, Aperture: 6.3, ISO: 100

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