Napier

On February 3, 1931 an earthquake of magnitude 7.9 (Richter) struck Napier. Those structures not leveled by the earthquake

burned in the ensuing fire. Over 300 died.

For a sense of the quake's magnitude, consider the fact that immediately north of the town the seabed moved up by about 2m. How much seabed moved up by 2m? Well, the town needed an airport, and now it had enough land (2,230 hectares/5,500 acres) to build one, with a lot of very fertile farmland as a bonus. Left image is the Ahuriri Lagoon. The centre image is the land that became the airport. Same vantage point, different times.

In typical Kiwi fashion, the city of Napier immediately set to rebuilding itself. Unlike citizens of other places I've visited, Kiwis don't sit around and whinge about matters. If there's a set back, they figure out a solution, and implement it straight away. The town fathers saw this as an opportunity to plan a new city, with many of the amenities of a city of the future. During the growth of the city, through the 1920's the air became cluttered with all sorts of poles and wires for various purposes. There was a tram which needed electric power, there were telephone wires, electric wires, streetlights, and there were poles in the middle the sidewalks holding up the verandas.

All power and telephone lines was relegated underground, and streetcars were removed. All new buildings were mandated to have cantilevered verandas. As a result, there were no support poles to obstruct the sidewalks. The latest architectural trend at the time was a new fad called Art Deco. There were a number of architects who trained in Auckland, but because of the Depression there was little work at the time. The building boom in Napier provided them with an opportunity to get some work, and also to try out some of the new styles.

The ornamentation that is unique to Art Deco is a direct result of the economic conditions of the Depression. From a construction and manufacturing standpoint, the decorative elements of Art Deco style are much simpler and more straightforward (i.e., cheaper) to produce than the complicated arrangements that one would see an Art Nouveau, Gothic, or gloppy French whatever. The orientation consists of clean straight lines, and right-angle ziggaurats that can be executed on-site, without terribly complicated tools or skills. When a detailed ornamentation is required, it is usually the case of a plaster cast that was carved off-site. The cast was then used to create panels (low cost of materials, less-skilled labour needed) which were set in place on the facade. Some of detail work on ASB Bank building is a good example of this.

Less than two years later, in early 1933, the town held a parade to commemorate the re-opening of the high street shopping district.

Also in typical Kiwi fashion, the town of Napier went about its business for approximately 50 years, as a major port for the export of primary materials (mainly timber) produced on the North Island. They did not realize the importance of what they had under their noses. It was not until about 20 years ago that recognition began to develop of the quality of the buildings in this town. An historic preservation trust was created of and pressure was brought to bear on building owners to restore and maintain buildings in Central Napier.

The result is a town of absolute treasures of Art Deco style. While Miami Beach has several buildings in the same style, Napier stands head and shoulders above it. Miami Beach certainly has several buildings that are interesting architecturally, but they're often surrounded by buildings that really detract from their presence. In the case of Napier, one is presented with building after building that are excellent examples of the Art Deco style.

I've organised the images of Napier as such:

Design Themes:

Specific buildings:

Everything, some of which are included in the above links:

Napier One

Napier Two

Napier Three

Whilst in Napier, I stayed at a Prison