Wellington's historic Erskine Chapel has finally been restored after languishing in disrepair for decades.
Perched on the hills of Island Bay, the 1929 building is regarded as a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture. The chapel was originally part of Erskine College, a Catholic girls' school which closed in 1985 — nearly forty years ago.
Developer Ian Cassels from the Wellington Company bought the abandoned site in 2000, to develop it into housing, but ran into opposition from heritage groups.
In 2018, the Environment Court ruled he could demolish the school buildings, but not the chapel — which had to be saved and strengthened. Years later, on Thursday evening, the newly restored chapel opened with choral singing and speeches.
Cassels said he was “deliriously happy” with how it looked but regretted the legal battle.
“It's sort of negative, obstructive, and incredibly wasteful of resources. We spent more than we should have on the Environment Court for the privilege to restore this building."
It cost his company at least $7 million to restore the chapel – about twice the amount Cassels was expecting.
He told 1News: “We can't get away from our past, we must honour it and cherish it and do that. But it's left to individuals basically.
"My partner and I, Caitlin Taylor and myself, we are basically the ones paying for it.”
Ninety-seven townhouses have now been built on the old Erskine College site.
Wellington City councillor Nicola Young said the project was a “huge win” for housing.
“We need to do more of this kind of thing and make it easier for people that want to do it."
Heritage New Zealand's Jamie Jacobs told 1News that the chapel building was of huge significance: "This chapel is one of the most important interiors in New Zealand, certainly Wellington. It's one of the finest French gothic buildings probably anywhere."
The chapel can now be hired as a venue for weddings and events, and an open day for the public is being held this Sunday.
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