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Consultancy House
ConsultancyHouse.jpg
Consultancy House
Former names MFC Mutual Funds Building
Alternative names New Zealand Express Company Building
General information
Type Commercial high-rise
Architectural style Chicago skyscraper
Location The Exchange, Dunedin
Address 7 Bond Street, Dunedin
Coordinates 45°52′42″S 170°30′09″E / 45.8784°S 170.5025°E / -45.8784; 170.5025
Construction started 1908
Completed 1910
Client New Zealand Express Company
Technical details
Floor count 7
Lifts/elevators 2
Design and construction
Architect Sidney and Alfred Luttrell
Architecture firm S. & A. Luttrell
Civil engineer C. G. Dunning
Main contractor Charles Fleming McDonald
Official name: MFL Mutual Fund Building
Designated: 24 November 1983
Reference #: 374

Consultancy House is a very old and important building in Dunedin, New Zealand. You can find it in the city's downtown area, called The Exchange. It's so special that it has a top-level historic classification from Heritage New Zealand.

This building has had a few names over the years. It was first known as The New Zealand Express Company Building. Later, it was also called The MFL Mutual Fund Building. It stands on Bond Street, in an area that was once part of the city's old docks. The land it sits on was actually created by filling in part of the harbor! It's near Queen's Gardens and John Wickliffe Plaza.

What Makes Consultancy House Special?

Consultancy House was built between 1908 and 1910. It was designed by two famous New Zealand architects, Sidney and Alfred Luttrell. They were inspired by the "Chicago skyscraper" style, which was popular in America.

A Mix of Styles

The building's outside look, called its façade, has strong Romanesque influences. This means it has big columns with rounded arches at the top, which are a key part of its design.

New Plans During Building

When the building was first planned, it was supposed to have five floors with a special roof called a Mansard roof. But while it was being built, they decided to add two more floors! This made it even taller.

New Zealand's First Skyscraper?

Many people believe Consultancy House was New Zealand's very first skyscraper. It was definitely the first building in the country to use the Chicago skyscraper design ideas.

A Brother Building

Consultancy House has a "brother" building in Christchurch called Manchester Courts. It was built in 1905 by the same architects, the Luttrell brothers. Both buildings were made to be regional offices for the same company, the New Zealand Express Company. This is why Manchester Courts is sometimes also called the New Zealand Express Company Building, which can be a bit confusing!

How Was It Built?

While the Christchurch building used a mix of concrete at the bottom and steel for the upper parts, Consultancy House was built entirely with a special type of concrete called ferroconcrete.

Using New Technology

This building was the first in New Zealand to use pre-cast concrete slabs. This means parts of the building were made somewhere else and then brought to the site to be put together. The ferroconcrete base also helped create a "floating raft foundation" on the reclaimed land, which was important for stability.

Inspired by a Famous Building

The design of Consultancy House seems to have been partly inspired by the Louis Sullivan's 1887 Auditorium Building in Chicago. However, the Luttrell brothers added more Victorian and Edwardian decorations to make it fit in better with other buildings in Dunedin.

A Tall Building for Its Time

With its seven floors, Consultancy House was the tallest building in Dunedin when it was finished (not counting church spires). Some even say it was the tallest building in the entire Southern Hemisphere at that time!

Important Tenants

Over the years, many important businesses and people have had offices in Consultancy House. This includes the Dunedin branch of the New Zealand Stock Exchange and the famous publisher and writer A.H. Reed.

Inside the Building Today

Wickliffe&Consultancy
The building is now dwarfed by its more modern neighbour, John Wickliffe House.

The inside of Consultancy House has changed a lot since it was built. Most of the original features are gone, except for the main staircase in the middle. Today, you'll find a fitness center on the ground floor. The upper floors are home to different professional businesses, like accountants.

Consultancy House (Dunedin) plaques
Plaques indicating the historic significance of Consultancy House.

At the main entrance on Bond Street, you can see two special plaques. One was placed by the Dunedin City Council, and the other by IPENZ (The Institute of Professional Engineers of New Zealand). These plaques celebrate how important the building's construction was.

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