Heart of the City: The tales of a fourth generation building owner
The Heart of the City column - in partnership with Invercargill Central - puts a focus on inner city Invercargill and reaffirms the area's status as the heart of the city.
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A Dee St building owner has shed some light on the significant challenges attached to maintaining heritage buildings in Invercargill’s city centre.
Jane Hanan says her motivation to own heritage buildings is certainly not financially based, given the amount of work and the expense involved in the buildings survival.
Hanan’s family has owned buildings in Dee St, Invercargill, since the 1870s, with Hanan the fourth generation to do so.
“I recall Dee St as a child with its many old buildings fully occupied and thriving, they were an integral part of the character of our city,” Hanan, who is an architect, said.
Hanan owns the cluster of buildings that occupy 124 to 132 Dee St. They were designed and built by her great-grandfather James Hanan, in the late 1870s.
James Hanan - a self-proclaimed professor - arrived in Invercargill from Ireland in 1863.
This pair of Victorian buildings housed Hanan’s Temple of Science. Serving as shops, a public hall, and in its early life a very Victorian educational foray into the wonders of science and the arts. These buildings have historical and architectural significance.
“I am now the owner. Maybe that is good, maybe that is not so good. I’m never quite sure,” Jane Hanan said.
“I work tirelessly to keep them occupied and maintained. Keeping them occupied with tenants is critical to the survival of these buildings.”
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Hanan said the list is endless regarding what needs to be done to maintain the historic buildings, and that would continue with systemic strengthening requirements.
“Why do I maintain my interest in these buildings? It’s not only because of my family connection, but because I like this place and I care about [Invercargill],” Hanan said.
“Owning the Dee St buildings is definitely not for economic reasons, I can ensure you. It is a labour of love and respect for my family heritage, but most importantly, they are part of Invercargill’s city heritage.”
Hanan said in recent years the Invercargill City Council has provided support through various heritage building funding opportunities.
“I cannot stress how beneficial this funding has been. Prior to the funding, things started to go backward; now they are going forward. So, I really thank council.”
That funding helped get the facade repainted in 2023, which Hanan said lifted the exterior appearance of the building, and the city of Invercargill benefited from that.
“[The council’s] funding assistance has actually encouraged me to upgrade important aspects of the building beyond the facade.”
Hanan said the council’s support encouraged the retention of historical buildings in the city.
However, Hanan is concerned about what the council’s planned pause on its heritage building funding could mean in the quest not to take a step backward.
The council is planning to halt the funding completely in its 2025-26 Annual Plan to cut costs and lower the impact on ratepayers.
The proposal is to reinstate that heritage funding the following year.
But Hanan’s major concern is the funding will be paused before being stopped altogether.
“I am conscious that council proposes to cut various costs, but I urge you to retain some level of [heritage building] funding, however minor, to keep it on the table in some form,” Hanan said.
Invercargill’s heritage funding has been split into two parts: a built heritage fund and a seismic strengthening fund.
Combined amounts given out over the five rounds have ranged between $100,000 and $350,000 per round, with a total of almost $1.4 million distributed.
Owners of heritage buildings are encouraged to paint them from an approved palette in keeping with the era they were constructed.
The council is scheduled to make a decision on its Annual Plan in June.
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Oh, it is so nice to see an owner of these buildings come forward and state that they are going to restore them and bring them up to standard. Even nicer of us, the ratepayers, to give them our hard earned money via the council, to help pay for it.