Government Life Insurance Building (1964)

In mid-1964 work commenced on an impressive new building for the city on the corner of Liardet and Gill Streets. 

The five-storey building was built as offices for the Government Life Insurance Company. It was designed by the architects, Porter & Martin of Wellington and the engineers Brole, Smith, Climie & Associates, Wellington. The contractors were the New Plymouth firm, H.F. Snowden Construction Ltd.

The New Plymouth Photo News published photos of the buildings progress throughout 1964-65. The Taranaki Herald reported in September 1965 that the building was expected to be finished in December.

In the early 1990s the building was converted into a rest home and private hospital, Tasman View.

The building was bought by Auckland couple Greg and Ginny McCarthy (trading as Liardet Apartments Ltd.) in 2004, and work began in 2005 to convert the rest home into apartments. Two further levels, with four double-storey penthouses, were added making a total, when finished, of 25 apartments.

Liardet Apartments Limited went into receivership in 2008 owing creditors almost $7 million. The Taranaki Daily News reported in December 2009 that despite the sale of almost all the apartments the failed company still owed Lombard Finance $4.5 million and unsecured creditors were unlikely to see any money.

The early history of this corner section reveals that the blacksmith William Davidson's house and "smithy" were located here. His house was set back from the road facing Gill Street and the 'smithy" fronted Gill Street. It's likely that they were built in the 1870s; the buildings are clearly noted on a map of New Plymouth dated 1884.

The buildings are still marked on a map dated 1934 but photos of the corner section taken by New Plymouth historian Fred Butler in the late 1930s (ARC2013-1426), indicate that the buildings had been demolished. Butler's street directories suggest the empty section may have been used as a carpark, perhaps right up until the construction of the Government Life Insurance Building in 1964.

Town section 878, Taranaki Land Deed Index I1 Page 194. 

Taranaki DP4769 Sheet 1 Town Section 878 (1926), ICS Pre 300,000 Cadastral Plan Index (Imaged by LINZ)

Subdivision of Town Section 878 DP5563 (1932), ICS Pre 300,000 Cadastral Plan Index (Imaged by LINZ)

Related documents:

Crane Cuts Building Costs (New Plymouth Photo News #98 13 June 1964)

Refreshing Outlook Assured By Rest Home (Daily News 13 July 1993)

Elderly Make way for luxury lifestyles (Taranaki Daily News 18 May 2004)

Surrounded by CBD and sea views to live for (Taranaki Daily News 9 April 2005)

Apartment developer takes iwi to court (Taranaki Daily News 17 March 2006) 

Developers lose canopy court case (Taranaki Daily News 9 June 2006)

Developer credit crunched (Taranaki Daily News 14 October 2008)

Liardet creditors waiting for cash (Taranaki Daily News 26 March 2009)

Apartment Sales Fail To Clear Big Debt (Taranaki Daily News 10 December 2009)