Paul Baragwanath, art agent and Friends of St David's church founder, outside St David's Church, Grafton, Auckland. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Paul Baragwanath, art agent and Friends of St David's church founder, outside St David's Church, Grafton, Auckland. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Plans to sell a nearly 100-year-old church in inner Auckland for potential redevelopment as apartments or a nightclub has outraged community groups.
St David's Church on Khyber Pass in Grafton will be put up for tender by the New Zealand Presbyterian Church just after Anzac day.
The church failed earthquake standards in 2014 and has faced demolition since.
However, a community charity Friends of St David's has requested the Presbyterian Trust "place a covenant on a sale-purchase agreement" so it can own the building and repurpose it as a centre for acoustic music.
"While this lack of consultation is hugely disappointing, our focus remains steadfast on the preservation of our taonga which is a sacred place built in honour of our soldiers, and a special space for all New Zealanders," Paul Baragwanath, chair of Friends of St David's Trust, said.
"We have already invested $100,000 to commission a fully researched proposal and business plan to bring this dream alive so it would be the principled next step."
The Friends of St David's charity said the decision by the Presbyterian Trust to put the potential three-site development block up for tender had "blindsided" them.
Encompassed in the site for sale is the memorial church, a hall and an adjoining car park.
The charity says the RSA and Royal New Zealand Engineers Charitable Trust have also united in support behind their cause.
Inside St David's Church.
This Saturday, April 24, at 5pm at its Anzac service outside the church, the Friends of St David's Trust will officially announce an initiative to transform the church into St David's Centre.
"It's a match made in heaven for musical performances given it has the most incredible acoustics, that have been verified by consultants Marshall Day," Baragwanath said.
RSA president BJ Clark said the church was paid for and built as a living memorial to the lives lost in WW1 so needed to be protected and have that purpose written into the deed of sale.
Artist Max Gimblett, whose brass Remembrance quatrefoils covered the church in 2015, has also added to the chorus of support.
"This is devastating news. The Presbyterian Church must place a covenant on the title to protect the sacredness of St David's and its role as a living memorial in the community. It must continue – lest we forget."
Inside St David's Church.
St David's Presbyterian Church, in Khyber Pass Rd, was built in 1927 of brick and Oamaru stone. It has a serene atmosphere with subdued light from stained glass windows erected in memory of parishioners who died in both world wars.
In its heyday, it held three services each Sunday for a congregation including business, trade union leaders and governors-general.
However in 2014, St David's minister Doug Lendrum said an initial assessment showed the building was at only 28 per cent of the earthquake design strength of the new building standard. The standard expected is 34 per cent.
The last service at St David's was November 8 last year.
