Frances Davies Building

The prominent building on the corner of Alpha Street and Victoria Street was erected in 1931 for Miss Frances Davies after Mrs Murphy’s building was destroyed by fire earlier that year.

Designed by architect Archie MacDonald and built by local contractors Speight Pearce Nicoll Davys (SPND), its construction came at a time when the effects of the Great Depression were still being felt across the country. Few new buildings were being erected, and the Cambridge Borough Council issued only a small number of building permits during the early 1930s.

Against this backdrop, the new premises represented a significant investment in the town’s commercial future.

The building on the corner of Alpha Street (left) and Victoria Street (foreground), in Cambridge, constructed in 1931 by Speight Pearce Nicoll Davys for Miss Frances Davies, with the butcher (centre right), Zainey’s Dining Saloon (right), and a bicycle leaning against a tree (left). Taken by James Douglas Richardson in 1931. Source:  https://kura.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/digital/collection/photos/id/414575/

Architectural description

Made from reinforced concrete, the building is ornate for the period with a seashell motif on the parapet, a face and festoons on the elaborate pediment, suspended verandahs and leadlight windows in steel frames.

The building has a Waipā District Plan Category B+ listing as a particularly important example of a period building.

Details

Sources

Gainsford, J (2020) Cambridge Commercial Architecture – Victoria Street (CM4638)

Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 4-08724 https://kura.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/digital/collection/photos/id/414575/