Major project on the Remuera Railway Station refurbishment nearly completed!

Attached are photos of the exterior and from the evening’s presentation, plus a statement from Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga on the significance of it being a Category 1 Historic Place on HNZPT’s the Rarangi Korero / The List. –

STATEMENT FROM ALEX Vakhrousheva | MArch (Hons) | RICS Accredited Conservation Professional Conservation Advisor | Kaitohutohu Penapena | Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.

The Remuera Railway Station and Signal Box is an iconic structure which still serves its original purpose more than 119 years after it was first constructed. In a world which is changing rapidly in the midst of urban development, climate change, and other built environment trends, this is a remarkable continuity of use and makes this place one of a rare number of such authentic structures across the country. As part of George Troup’s revolutionary design manifesto for rail stations rolled out across the country in the early 20^th century, the Remuera Railway Station comprising signal box, platform and station building is a nationally rare example of an ‘island’ design typology. It is one of only two signal boxes nationally which is unmodified and in its original location. Unsurprisingly, the place is registered as a Category 1 Historic Place on HNZPT’s the Rarangi Korero / The List. Category 1 places must demonstrate ‘special or outstanding historical or cultural value’ . They are our most important historic places and must be conserved for future generations.  

Unfortunately, as rail travel began to decline in popularity in the mid-20th century, station buildings across New Zealand began to enter a period of decline. In 1942, the Remuera Rail Station ceased to be an officered station. The construction of the motorway in the mid-1960s took away more traffic, with freight services to the station ending in 1979. The toilets and ‘lamp room’ were demolished in 1982, and the signal box was made obsolete by automatic points in 1987. It was during this period of time that many historic station buildings across New Zealand were lost. However, work by the Remuera Railway Preservation Trust in the early 1990s restored much of Remuera Rail Station buildings’ fabric, indicating the importance of the place and an ongoing commitment to preserving our built heritage. This continued investment saw both buildings lifted onto new foundations in 2010 and further works in 2012 which updated the signage and seating. By the 2020’s however, much of the historic fabric had begun to fall into disrepair after more than a century of continued service. 

Today, we are only just beginning to truly understand and value our built heritage and give it the attention it deserves as a key cultural touchstone of our built environment which embodies much of our shared history as a community, a region, and a country. The Remuera Railway Station and Signal Box is an excellent example of this essential investment. HNZPT commends Auckland Transport, Salmond Reed Architects (in particular Project Architect Phillip Hartley), and the contractor teams for what is turning out to be a high-quality project. As Conservation Advisor for the Mid-Northern Region, I was privileged to attend a site visit earlier this year where Project Architect Phillip Hartley walked us through the ongoing works. I was thoroughly impressed at the attention to detail and consideration which was being given by the entire project team to the careful refurbishment of this iconic structure. I look forward to seeing the project completed, and I hope that members of the Remuera Heritage group will also appreciate the quality of the building works when they visit the site in May. 

HNZPT cares deeply about continued care and management of our built heritage. We take our roles as kaitiaki/guardians of these places seriously and are committed to advocating for their protection, retention, and ongoing maintenance to allow them to thrive for another 100 years and continue to tell the stories we have come to know and love to future generations.