Libraries Manager Joanna Thomas standing in front of glass panels originally from the 1930s art deco building that housed the public library and electricity department. Photo / Supplied
Libraries Manager Joanna Thomas standing in front of glass panels originally from the 1930s art deco building that housed the public library and electricity department. Photo / Supplied
If you're heading into Tauranga's central library at He Puna Manawa on Devonport Rd these school holidays, come and check out the stained glass panels on display.
These stained glass panels have a rich history. Originally from the 1930s art deco library building on Willow St, they have been installedin He Puna Wānanga Heritage and Research area, near the Grey Street entrance of He Puna Manawa, while two 1989 artworks proudly sit in the programmes room adjacent to the café.
Libraries manager Joanna Thomas says the pieces add some vibrancy and richness to the premises and people who visit the space can admire the artwork up close.
"It's fitting that these pieces are stored here until their new home is ready, given our archives collection connects people with the past," says Joanna.
The leadlight windows were originally from the building that housed the public library and borough electricity department. The architect was F.N. Hornibrook and the builder C.F.J. Biggs. The Bay of Plenty Times reported at the time that "a striking feature of the whole of the building is the beauty that has been introduced by the use of lead lights".
When the building was demolished in 1989 these three leadlight windows were saved and incorporated into the then-new Willow Street library building. Earlier this year, they were carefully transferred before the now-complete demolition of that building took place.
The 1916 Town Hall and 1930s art deco building side by side on Willow St. Photo / Tauranga City Libraries Photo
Other stained glass panels, removed before the demolition of the old library and administration building began earlier this year, are being stored at Tauranga City Council's Heritage Collection facility for safe keeping.
The longer-term plan is to incorporate all of the panels in the new civic precinct - Te Manawataki o Te Papa. The vibrant community space will be developed over the next eight years and include facilities such as a civic whare (public meeting house), museum, library and an exhibition centre.
Joanna says historical images of the panels visible in council buildings over time can also be seen now by visiting Pae Korokī: Tauranga archives online.
"One image I noticed while looking on the Pae Korokī website just the other day was when the late Queen Elizabeth II and Duke of Edinburgh visited Tauranga in 1963, and you can see the stained glass on the old Town Hall in the background. It was quite moving."
More about Pae Korokī
For more than 40 years Tauranga City Libraries has carefully collected and preserved Tauranga's history as part of an extensive archive collection.
