Concepts Made Concrete

Architect John Alfred Duffill, or Jack as he was known, completed the designs for the Whangamomona Hotel for Robert J. Campbell in 1911, after the first hotel was destroyed by fire in 1905. The plan for the new hotel, detail shown above, shows the floor plans, elevations and sections for the new hotel as well as details for the septic tank on the site. The Puke Ariki Heritage Collection holds a collection of more than 1800 architectural plans, documenting some of the 432 buildings Jack designed. Jack was in business in south Taranaki, at first in Eltham, and later in Hāwera, and the changing architectural technologies and fashions from this region can be seen in these plans. In his 37 year career Jack, and his firm, designed more the 220 homes and over 40 dairy factories in Taranaki, as well as numerous commercial and public buildings. Jack was most recognised for his groundbreaking second generation dairy factory designs. These were constructed out of reinforced concrete rather than wood, a revolutionary idea at the time.