When the Wellington Cable Car Museum was developed in 2000, annual visitor numbers of around 90,000 were expected. However, they were soon nearly twice that amount and facilities were stretched.
The Wellington Museums Trust, manager of the museum, decided to embark on a redevelopment and restoration project so that visitor facilities could be improved and extended and so that another grip car from the collection could be restored and put on display.
Major funding support for the project was secured from the Wellington City Council, spread over two years. The project was also generously supported by grants from the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board Environment & Heritage Committee, the Minister of Tourism's Tourism Facilities Development Grant programme and the New Zealand Community Trust, and was also funded by the Wellington Museums Trust's own capital expenditure programme.
Doubling our size
Conservation architect Ian Bowman and architects Bevin & Slessor, both involved with the initial development of the museum, were responsible for the extension concept and design, and building was completed in time for an official opening on the museum’s fifth birthday (December 5 2005).
The extension has almost doubled the size of the museum, which is housed in the original winding house at the top of the cable car route. This was achieved by adding a two-storey wing on the building’s northern side and on a similar footprint to its original boiler house, which was pulled down in the 1930s when the cable car system switched from steam to electrical power.
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Hold your mouse over the above image to see the building extension |
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A great improvement
The extended lower level of the museum now houses the fully restored Grip Car 3 and tells the story of its conservation, while the extended upper level boasts interpretation for the adjacent Wellington Botanic Garden and surrounding area, in recognition of the museum’s location in a key tourist precinct. Museum access has also been greatly improved by an internal lift and new staircase.
The museum's architects won a New Zealand Institute of Architecture Resene local award for the building extension in the community and cultural category.
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