OUR HERITAGE

Gus Fisher Gallery stands on the original shoreline of Tāmaki Makaurau. Overlooking Te Rerenga Ora Iti (Point Britomart), Shortland Street was the city’s first main street. The land beyond the gallery to the current shoreline is reclaimed wharf, and the headland Te Rerenga Ora Iti has been almost completely quarried away.

Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei is mana whenua of central Tāmaki Makaurau. After signing Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 1940, Ngāti Whātua paramount chief Āpihai Te Kawau gifted land for British settlement on the Waitematā.

Opened in January 1935 as the Southern Hemisphere’s largest purpose-built broadcasting studios, 74 Shortland Street was home to the Radio 1YA broadcasting studios. Described as a “magnificent broadcasting palace”, the studios were at the cutting edge of technology and architecture at the time and the first of their kind in the Southern Hemisphere. When experimental television transmissions began in Aotearoa New Zealand in the 1950s, 74 Shortland Street was deemed the ideal location for this new form of broadcasting. On 1 June, 1960 the first night of official programming was broadcast live to Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland from a rudimentary set-up in the Shortland Street Studios.

Image: Exterior view of Radio 1YA’s Broadcasting Station. Courtesy of Auckland Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira.

About Gus Fisher (ONZM)

Gus Fisher Gallery was founded due to the generous support of local fashion designer, manufacturer and philanthropist Gus Fisher (1920-2010).

Gus Fisher rose to prominence as a fashion designer in the wake of World War II, when Christian Dior’s ‘New Look’ was sweeping through Europe and the United States. As managing director of his fashion label El-Jay, Fisher signed a deal in 1954 to produce Christian Dior’s designs under licence at his factory in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. At a time when conservative British fashion trends were widely worn in Aotearoa New Zealand, Gus Fisher’s innovative Parisian designs and partnership with Dior were pioneering in the local fashion industry. El-Jay produced inspiring clothing for 50 years, winning accolades such as the Best Pure Wool Garment, Best Wool Knit Garment, International Award at the 1971 EVE Fashion Awards for a black velvet full-length coat which the judges felt “would be acclaimed anywhere in the world”. El-Jay became the longest holder of the Dior licence in the world, reflecting the high quality of the clothing which the label produced.

Gus Fisher was also a keen lover of art, and extensively collected 20th century artworks. He collected numerous works by Aotearoa artists including Frances Hodgkins, John Weeks and Rita Angus, as well as contemporary figurative painters Pat Hanly, Jeffery Harris, Colin McCahon and Tony Fomison.

In 2009, Gus Fisher became an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to philanthropy. In 2010, he and his wife Irene received the fifth annual Arts Foundation of New Zealand award for their patronage and contribution to the national arts. The same year, Gus Fisher Gallery held an exhibition celebrating the success of Gus Fisher’s fashion brand, Looking Terrific: The Story of El-Jay, curated by Doris De Pont of the New Zealand Fashion Museum.

Alongside establishing Gus Fisher Gallery, Fisher supported the establishment of the Kenneth Myers Centre, the Auckland Museum Redevelopment Programme, the Auckland Art Gallery, the McCahon House Trust, the Auckland Festival, and the University of Auckland Medical School.

Image: Gus Fisher with his wife Irene Fisher.

Restoration Project

About the project

In early 2023, a project commenced on the exterior façade of Gus Fisher Gallery’s heritage building. This project includes specialist brick re-pointing which will secure the building’s weathertightness and structural integrity. The purpose of this work is to reduce moisture and related damage to the interior finishes within the building.

Over the 2024 summer period, this project will move to the front of the building, making the gallery entrance temporarily inaccessible. To ensure the care and upkeep of this special site is maintained, Gus Fisher Gallery will be closed for an extended period over the summer while these works are carried out.⁠

This project is supported by The University of Auckland as part of the Asset Management Renewals programme.

Image: Exterior view of Kenneth Myers Centre, 2024. Photography by Sam Hartnett.

FAQS

Why is this project needed?

The existing cement based brick mortar needs replacing by more suitable lime based mortar which will allow the building to breath better. The change to lime based mortar means that a lot less moisture will travel into the interior of the heritage building. This work will help to prevent damage to the building’s interior finishes and the exterior will also look very aesthetically pleasing once complete!

This is the first time that any work of this kind has been carried out since the building opened in 1935.

Who are carrying out these works?

The works are being carried out by Lime Works. Founded in 2015, Lime Works Ltd. is a company committed to the preservation of heritage buildings for future generations. The project includes a number of different aspects – find out more on the Lime Works website here.