MLC Building, Auckland

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MLC Building
00 1401 MLC building in Auckland (New Zealand) (cropped).jpg
MLC Building, Auckland
Interactive map of the MLC Building area
General information
Architectural style Art Deco
Location380 Queen Street, Auckland, New Zealand
Coordinates 36°51′11″S174°45′49″E / 36.853167973466256°S 174.76362893934828°E / -36.853167973466256; 174.76362893934828
Completed1956
Technical details
Floor count9
Design and construction
ArchitectsMitchell & Mitchell
Main contractor Fletcher Construction
Official nameMLC Building
Designated26 November 1981
Reference no. 618

The MLC Building (also known as the Mutual Life & Citizens Assurance Company Building) is a heritage-listed building in Auckland, New Zealand. Located at 380 Queen Street, on the corner of Queen and Airedale Streets, opposite the Auckland Town Hall, the Art Deco building was completed in 1956, at which time it was the tallest building in Auckland.

Contents

Design and construction

MLC Building under construction, 1956 MLC Building under construction, Auckland (83921).jpg
MLC Building under construction, 1956

The building was designed by Mitchell & Mitchell architects and constructed by Fletcher Construction. Work on the building started in May 1954, and it was opened in December 1956 by then mayor of Auckland, Thomas Ashby. [1] At the time of construction, it was the tallest building in Auckland. [2]

The ground floor frontage was faced with Balmoral granite veneer supplied by the New Zealand Marble Company, and sculpted granite and terracotta panels appeared over street entrances and on the tower of the building. Lift halls and main corridors were panelled with Queensland maple veneer, with a marble entrance lobby. [3]

Later use

In 1999, the building was converted into a hotel and apartment complex and has since been managed by Scenic Hotel Group as the Legacy Airedale Hotel. [4]

Heritage listing

The building is listed as a Category 2 Historic Place (places considered to have historical or cultural significance or value [5] ) by Heritage New Zealand. [6] It is very similar in design to the Mutual Life & Citizens Assurance Company Building in Wellington, completed in 1940. A smaller version of the MLC building, also designed by Mitchell & Mitchell and constructed by Fletcher Construction, was built at 14 Garden Place, Hamilton, in 1957. [7]

References

  1. ↑ Smith, Jack (2009). No job too big: a history of Fletcher Construction. Wellington, NZ: Steele Roberts. ISBN   978-1-877448-69-0.
  2. ↑ "Auckland". Global Art Deco. 19 October 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "Fletcher Holdings Ltd: Arrowhead magazine, February-March 1956". The Fletcher Trust Archive Collection Online. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  4. ↑ "Central Auckland Heritage Building | Legacy Airedale Hotel". Scenic Hotel Group. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  5. ↑ "FAQ | Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga". www.heritage.org.nz. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  6. ↑ "M.L.C. Building". www.heritage.org.nz. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  7. ↑ Smith, Jack (2009). No job too big: a history of Fletcher Construction. Wellington, N.Z: Steele Roberts. ISBN   978-1-877448-69-0.
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