Ms Barry said they chose to give money to the National Tobacco Company Building as it is "one of Napier's most distinctive Art Deco structures and a major tourist attraction".
Hawke's Bay Tourism general manager Annie Dundas said the building was hugely significant for Napier and every tour conducted around Art Deco.
"We want it to be as safe as possible as it is such a well-known building and is one of the most photographed in Hawke's Bay. It has been used on brochures so is recognisable all around the world."
The company building was commissioned by German Gerhard Husheer in the 1930s and after the 1931 earthquake was re-built Art Deco style.
The National Tobacco Company was then bought by Rothmans in 1957, and the premises closed as a tobacco plant in 2006, when operations shifted to Australia.
Ray McKimm then bought the site.
It is currently being used for storage but there is also a brewery under construction by B Studio's, a joint venture of Hawke's Bay and Gisborne contract winemakers, and Wellington's Garage Project.
German multi-national beverage engineering specialist Krones is supplying and building the brewery with a team of German engineers and it is expected to be operational by May.
The Union Steamship in Dunedin also received a grant for strengthening one of its floors as part of a major refit to apartments and offices.
Ms Barry said with a rates relief package from the Dunedin City Council, this building and others were part of the revitalisation of Dunedin's warehouse precinct.
The Heritage Earthquake Upgrade Incentive Programme (EQUIP) and Retrofit Funds can be applied for at any time, with an expert panel assessing applications three times a year.
"I encourage building owners considering earthquake upgrade work to visit the Heritage EQUIP website, www.mch.govt.nz/heritageequip," Ms Barry said.
Mr McKimm was unable to comment yesterday.
