Re-opening of St Heliers Library

St Heliers Library 2023

Desley Simpson Deputy Mayor and Ōrākei ward councillor said about the reopening of the St Heliers Library in August:

Facts

Auckland Council has invested in ensuring the heritage St Heliers library in the Ōrākei Ward will still be standing for future generations to come.

The heritage protected St Heliers library reopened yesterday 15 August 2023 after a year of works.
Earthquake strengthening and renewal work was completed.
The walls have been tied together by a new concrete foundation
The windows have been – stripped, rustproofed and re-painted
There is a new roof, with a slightly steeper pitch and deeper guttering – so no leaks…
A new accessibility ramp was built away from the Pohutukawa – ensuring its roots will now be protected.
The lovely heritage shelving has been lovingly restored – and is looking magnificent.
Up in the roof – it was discovered that a bit more work was needed than first thought – some of the older timbers needed replacing and insufficient bracing meant more strengthening was required.

Discoveries

Behind some gib in the children’s area, a window was revealed, it was the original window of that side of the building before the latter addition.
Also discovered was a piece of the original wall on the right of the door – just behind the counter.

Upcycling

Old timber taken from the roof was given to the Mens Shed East Auckland, who re-purposed it into some lovely picture frames for the library.

History of the building

The building was completed in 1926 and designed by Grierson, Aimer and Draffin Architects. The Prominent Auckland firm also designed Aukland War Memorial Museum (1929) and Parnell Public library (1923).
The building was originally created to house the Tamaki West Road Board Offices and a fire station for the Volunteer Fire Brigade
1928 the building was converted to a public library
The building is notable for its neoclassical architecture style and symmetry.