The Dominion Building that once housed the Dominion morning newspaper business has a newly refurbished Dome, some 8 storeys above ground.

Situated on Mercer Street, the Dominion Building has recently undergone extensive reroofing works. As part of the project, the iconic copper dome has been remediated, largely due to the input of expert craftsman, Hartmut Reichelt.

For 8 months, the dome has been covered to allow for removal of the old copper and replacement of key components of the substructure, before being recovered with new copper. The elevated lantern has new materials and only the very top structure of the dome (referred to as the “onion”) and spindle (on the very top) have remained untouched.

The Dominion Building in one of Wellington’s great buildings and a place of high heritage significance (Historic Place Category 2). It is currently home to inner-city residential apartments (upper 3 floors), commercial offices and retail businesses.

When built, it was one of the taller buildings in the city, and its dramatic architectural composition and distinctive roofline were designed to be seen widely.

The building was purpose built as a printery and offices for The Dominion newspaper in 1926-28. First published on 26 September 1907, the Dominion paper was named in recognition of New Zealand’s new status as a Dominion, granted in the same year.

The building served The Dominion until 1976. That year the newspaper’s owners, Independent Newspapers Ltd, moved operations to Press House, which had been built for the Evening Post, by then also part of the INL empire.

In 1996 Ian Athfield and his team adapted the Chicago-styled heritage listed building to include its three levels of apartments.

During the upcoming Wellington Heritage Festival (23 October – 5 November) there will be an opportunity for members of the public to join small groups to tour the building.

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