POWER OF ATTRACTION

WORDS: JACQUI GIBSON / IMAGERY: SARAH HORN

The gem in Napier’s architectural crown, the National Tobacco Company Building still thrives as a commercial space as well

Just as Wānaka has That Wānaka Tree, Napier has the National Tobacco Company Building – a building so visually seductive that people flock to see it and photograph it and, in the case of one Wellington-born gin maker, dream of one day possessing it.

The frontage on Ossian Street

“I moved to Hawke’s Bay because I fell in love with this building,” says Blair Nicholl, formerly of Kāpiti and one of three directors who run Napier’s National Distillery Company from the distinctive Category 1 historic place on Ossian Street.

Blair (pictured above) first sighted the object of his affection as a teenager on a trip to Hawke’s Bay to play representative cricket. Years later, it popped into his mind’s eye as Blair jotted down his life goals on a vision board. Some day he’d own the former tobacco factory, he promised himself.

“I’m not quite there yet,” says Blair, who moved to Hawke’s Bay in 2021. “But it’s a privilege to walk through those timber doors every day and know I’m a custodian of this incredible place.”

Constructed in 1926 and rebuilt in 1931 following the Hawke’s Bay earthquake, the National Tobacco Company Building is regarded as the jewel in Napier’s architectural crown, says Michael Fowler, historian and former heritage officer at the city’s Art Deco Trust.

Architect Louis Hay designed replacement factory premises and builder Harry Faulknor and his workforce of 150 men ensured the new factory was in use by 15 March 1931, just weeks after the February earthquake, he says.

The lavish office premises, also designed by Louis Hay, opened two years later in 1933.

Historian Michael Fowler

“The building is a blend of Art Deco and Art Nouveau, strongly influenced by the Chicago School of architecture, which you can see in the rounded arch over the entrance way,” says Michael.

Sculpted roses

“There was no expense spared on the rebuild. The entry doors alone cost £600 to make – that’s about $85,000 in today’s money.”

Anecdotally, it’s believed to be the most photographed building in the region, he says.

“I’ve taken many tourists there over the years. I’m telling you, people have to be dragged away from it. It draws them in like a magnet.

“Everything about it stands out. From the muted pink and yellow colours of the simple, cubed façade to the arched entrance and the sculpted concrete raupō and roses you see on the building’s exterior.

“Then there’s the carved wooden doors, made by Hastings furniture maker Walter Marquand, the decorative brass handrails, a striking domed skylight and the Italian marble floors.”

The fact that it was commissioned by Napier tobacco baron Gerhard Husheer, a German émigré with a taste for chauffeur-driven limousines, expensive real estate and Alsatian dogs, only seems to have added to its impact, he says.

“Gerhard was a central figure in Napier in the ’20s and ’30s. He was a very wealthy businessman interested in culture and the arts. He was also extremely generous, reputedly paying staff well and giving away thousands of pounds every year to people hit hard by the Depression.”

The National Tobacco Company Building today represents a unique chapter in the region’s history, says Michael.

The domed skylight

“For a small town like Napier to have such an iconic building is wonderful for the people who live here and for visitors to Hawke’s Bay.

“That it’s kept in such great condition is testament to the commitment of its current owners, the McKimm family, who have redeveloped the site on which it’s located, and tenants like Blair who continue to champion its legacy.”

Blair and business partners Ricardo Reis and Kate Whiting set up shop in the National Tobacco Company Building in November 2018.

Months before, winemaker Tony Bish had invited the trio to join him on the corner property and create a hub for locally made artisan beer, wine and spirits.

At B Studio, an independent craft brewery located at the rear of the National Tobacco Company Building,

The original National Tobacco Company reception area

brewers made experimental beers. Next door at The Urban Winery, Tony Bish operated a popular tasting room and cellar door.

For their part, Blair, Ricardo and Kate would run a new spirits distillery, tasting room, cellar door and bar from the National Tobacco Company Building out front.

But moving into a Category 1-listed heritage property didn’t come without its challenges, says Blair.

Firstly, his team had to figure out where to install distillery equipment worth $2 million, including a commercial gas boiler, while complying with all relevant safety and adaptive re-use regulations.

The leadlight windows and entrance to the National Distillery Company bar

“Luckily, I poked around and found a small sealedoff door leading to an existing boiler room once used by the original tobacco factory,” explains Blair.

“Honestly, it was both a relief and a game changer. The original drawings didn’t feature the room, but it was the perfect space for us. If we hadn’t found it, we may have had to rethink everything. To me, it was a sign we were meant to be here.”

Copper still, National Distillery Company

Last year, the three directors refurbished the bar with velvet curtains and chic cane seating and bar stools.

A personal highlight of the move has been learning the history of the National Tobacco Company Building from locals and Gerhard’s elderly grandchildren, who live in Napier, says Blair.

“A granddaughter told me Gerhard would stand outside the local dance hall on a Saturday night and give out money, so the kids could enjoy their evening.

“I also found out that more than 95 percent of Gerhard’s staff were women, employed for their small hands and skills in hand-rolling tobacco,” he says.

Today, all Blair’s front-of-house staff learn the site’s history and give tours of the distillery on request.

“I see it as our duty to show people around. A big part of what we do here is education. We want everyone to leave with an understanding of the building’s forefathers and history, as well as a bit of knowledge about making spirits.”

Guests are also encouraged to take seats at the bar and try cocktails made from the National Distillery Company’s Adorn Rose and Art Deco gins, botanical spirits made in homage to the late Gerhard Husheer.

Fifteen percent of all Art Deco gin sales go to the Art Deco Trust, set up to preserve and promote the region’s heritage.

“Looking around, you can see roses and oranges are central motifs in the design of this building,” says Blair.

“That’s why they’ve become core ingredients in some of our gins today. We even found locally grown tobacco to make a one-off tobacco gin. Tobacco creates this unusual, rich flavour, which we’ll eventually add to our rum and whisky.”

Blair says the building and the story it represents are a constant inspiration.

“Sometimes I’ll be in the boardroom mulling over a tricky issue and I’ll think: ‘What would Gerhard do in this situation? What would he do if he were me?’”

Handcrafted National Distillery Comany spirits

The refurbished National Distillery Company bar

TIMELINE OF A BUILDING

1926 Napier architect Louis Hay designs a new factory and offices for the National Tobacco Company Ltd on Napier’s Ossian Street.

1931 The National Tobacco Company complex is destroyed by the 7.8-magnitude Hawke’s Bay earthquake. Weeks later, a replacement factory opens, designed by Louis Hay and rebuilt by Harry Faulknor.

1933 A new office is added to the National Tobacco Company premises, also designed by Louis Hay.

1957 The National Tobacco Company merges with Rothmans of Pall Mall, creating a new company called Rothmans Tobacco Company Ltd.

1999 Rothmans Tobacco Company merges with WD & HO Wills (NZ) to become British American Tobacco (NZ) Ltd.

2005 British American Tobacco shuts down its Napier operation and moves cigarette production to Sydney, Australia.

2007 The site is sold to the McKimm family, owners of Big Save, initially for their national distribution centre and now for the Napier Ahuriri Business Park.

2018 The National Distillery Company moves into the former National Tobacco Company Building, alongside The Urban Winery, B Studio and others.

THREE WAYS TO VISIT THIS WINTER

1. Dress up and arrive in a 1930s-themed costume for a tour of the building and, depending on how smartly dressed you are, enjoy a complimentary cocktail at the bar: nationaldistillery.nz

2. Contact Napier’s Art Deco Trust and sign up for the daily Art Deco Highlights Vintage Car Tour, which stops off at the National Tobacco Company Building: artdeconapier.com

3. Grab a ticket to a cocktail-making masterclass run by the National Distillery Company at this year’s winter Food and Wine Classic culinary festival over four weekends in June: fawc.co.nz

To see more of the National Tobacco Company, view our video story here: youtube.com/HeritageNewZealandPouhereTaonga