Historic architecture and fine wine combine this summer

1 December 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ahuriri’s iconic National Tobacco Company building, which closed last year for maintenance and redevelopment, is open for business.

The Heritage 1 listed building, owned by Big Save’s McKimm family, has proved a popular visitor destination in the past and now also houses The Urban Winery.

This summer, visitors to The Urban Winery can also get a sneak peek of the historic parts of the building – public access is by gold coin donation or as part of a $10 ‘deco experience’ which combines wine tasting with a short guided tour of the private wood-panelled boardroom and architecturally impressive foyer featuring a domed glass ceiling, marble columns and rose detailing.

A ‘secret back door’ connects the historic spaces to the new home of Tony Bish Wines and The Urban Winery, a premium boutique operation exclusively producing Chardonnay from some of Hawke’s Bay’s finest vineyards.

Winemaker Tony Bish says innovation is at the heart of his wines, embodied in the unique concrete and French oak egg-shaped fermenters he uses.

“The ferment and maturation barrel room is visible through a large plate glass viewing window, and an impressive oak Cuve sits adjacent to our cellar door.”

The new tasting room has an inviting ambience, and wine-savvy staff guide visitors through a flight of Tony Bish Chardonnays plus various other premium Hawke’s Bay wine producers showcased at The Urban Winery.

“After many months of hard work behind closed doors our unique cellar door and wine bar is now open to the public, and we’re loving sharing our stories and wines in a stylish yet relaxing atmosphere. We’re also thrilled to be managing public access to the historic foyer and boardroom for the summer too.”

The winery redevelopment recently won an Art Deco Trust heritage award.

Shane Gorst, the Trust’s General Manager, says re-purposing is a fundamental part of securing the preservation of Hawke’s Bay’s heritage buildings.

“The re-opening of this iconic building is a case study on how passionate owners and tenants can work together to breathe new life into a building and effectively give our past a brighter future.”

FACT BOX:
The National Tobacco Company building boardroom and foyer can be visited daily between 11am and 4pm.
Gold coin donation (per person) for the public to view the foyer and boardroom, or visitors can opt for a $10 (per person) tour and wine tasting (which includes tastings of four wines).
Tour operators can contact The Urban Winery to bring commercial tour groups into the National Tobacco Company building foyer and boardroom.
Tour and/or special interest group visits can take place outside normal opening hours – contact The Urban Winery to arrange details.
The Urban Winery is open daily from 11am to 5pm Monday to Wednesday and Sundays, and 11am till late Thursday to Saturday. Tastings, wine sales, craft beer and light snacks/platters are also available.

BACKGROUND ABOUT THE BUILDING:
The National Tobacco Company building (once colloquially called the Rothman’s Building due to the well-known cigarette brand manufactured there), is regarded by many as one of Napier's most elegant commercial buildings dating back to the 1930s. It is considered a monument to Gerhard Husheer, one the founding members of the New Zealand tobacco industry, and an important work of the architect Louis Hay.
Johann Gerhard Husheer (1864-1954), a German by birth, immigrated with his family to New Zealand from South Africa in 1911, with the intention of establishing a tobacco industry in the country. In 1913, following successful experiments in growing tobacco crops at Paki Paki, Hastings, Husheer established the New Zealand Tobacco Company and opened a processing factory at Ahuriri, Napier, in 1915. Although the company did well, Husheer and his sons were forced to leave through the actions of some of its directors. Husheer moved to Auckland where he set up in 1921 the National Tobacco Company, eventually purchasing the assets of the New Zealand Tobacco Company, which had gone out of the business in the meantime. He returned to Napier in 1924. The company prospered and in 1925 Husheer commissioned Louis Hay (1881-1948), a Napier based architect, to design a factory at the Ahuriri site. Hay had previously been involved in renovating Husheer's three houses in Elizabeth Street, on Bluff Hill. Although the external walls of the factory were to collapse during the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake, the internal structure remained largely intact and production continued relatively unhindered following the disaster. The Depression also had little impact on the National Tobacco Company, as demand for the company's product remained high.
By 1932 the National Tobacco Company was one of the wealthiest industries in Napier and certainly the largest employer of local labour. In that year Husheer commissioned Louis Hay to design a main frontage for his factory to replace the structure that had collapsed in the earthquake. Hay's initial sketches were rejected by Husheer for not being extravagant enough. Hay's second plan, which was eventually built, was for a deceptively simple building based on the idea of an 'arch within a square', decorated with detailed representations of plants such as roses, raupo, and vine leaves. The motif of roses also featured on the lamps on the side of the entrance and lead-light windows. Leading up to the doors were steps decorated with tiles, and brass handrails. Entering through an elaborately carved set of doors, the foyer featured a marble dado, and oak panelling, combined with a domed lead-light skylight to create an overall feeling of elegance and luxury. The entire design, particularly the use of simple geometric forms decorated with applied decoration, reflected Hay's interest in the Art Nouveau or Secession style developed in Europe at the turn of the twentieth century. Hay was to use similar ideas in the design of Napier's AMP Building (1933/34) and the Hawke's Bay Art Gallery and Museum (1935). Tenders for the construction of the National Tobacco Company Building were called for in October 1932, and the work was nearly finished by the end of December 1932.
Although built in the middle of the Depression, Husheer suffered no adverse reaction for this obvious display of wealth, as he was also known for his philanthropic gestures, handing out food to those in need in during the hardest years of the economic crisis. The high regard for the company within the community at the time can be seen in the actions of the Napier Chamber of Commerce when, in 1933, it sought to defend the National Tobacco Company's objection to the introduction of taxation on local tobacco.
After Husheer's death in 1954 the company was acquired by Rothmans of Pall Mall. The entranceway was largely disused after the 1960s when a new administration building was built adjacent. In the mid 1980s interest in the older building increased and work was begun on restoring the building to its former glory. A glazed screen that had been removed at some time was rebuilt based on a photograph of the original. During the 1990s the paint-work was restored to its original colour and a number of the lead-light windows that had been removed, were remade. In 1999 Rothman's merged with British American Tobacco Ltd but eventually tobacco production ceased at the site, which was later purchased by private owners.
The National Tobacco Company Building is a testimony to the success of the tobacco industry in New Zealand in the early twentieth century, and in particular the role of Gerhard Hussheer, considered to be one of New Zealand's foremost industrialist. At a local level it was the entranceway to what was once Napier's largest employer. Architecturally it is regarded as the jewel in Napier's architectural crown. The building is perhaps one of Louis Hay's best preserved public buildings, and it is an excellent example of the craftsmanship of local artists in post earthquake Napier. Today, located on a corner site amongst the industrial buildings of Ahuriri, it is a noted landmark, and is a popular destination for visitors to Napier.
This information was sourced/summarised from http://www.heritage.org.nz/the-list/details/1170

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