Defence House
The Departmental Building, long known as Defence House, is a historic office building in Wellington, New Zealand. For many decades the building housed the New Zealand Defence Force and, after a period of vacancy and subsequent extensive refurbishment, it is now occupied by the Ministry of Business, [Innovation and Employment].
The building is classified as a Category 2 Historic Place by Heritage New Zealand.
History
Departmental Building
The Departmental Building was designed by Government Architect John Mair in 1935. Work started in late 1935 but was suspended in 1936 while additional land was bought and new plans drawn up. The foundations were completed in 1938. The main contractor was Fletcher Construction, with the steel framework erected by William Cable & Company. Construction was largely finished by 1940, although fitting-out was still being done in March 1942.Defence House
In 2007, the New Zealand Defence Force moved out of the building after tenanting the building since its construction. The building was no longer fit-for-purpose, and according to the Defence Force: "Despite refurbishments the décor remained dull and dated and the building’s services were inefficient." The Defence Force flags were taken down on 23 February 2007 in a ceremony to close the building.In December 2012, it was announced that the building would be bought by Argosy Property Management for $33.2 million. A 12-year tenancy agreement was signed between Argosy and the New Zealand Government in January 2013.