History
The Hannah Warehouse is named after prominent Wellington shoemaker Robert Hannah, the founder of R. Hannah & Co. Originally born in Ireland in 1845, Hannah emigrated to Queensland, Australia, to sell shoes to miners during the 1860s gold rush. When the gold ran out, he replicated his business plan here in New Zealand, opening his own shop and selling quality boots to miners hoping for luck in the Hokitika gold rush.
Robert Hannah at the turn of the 20th century. Image courtesy of Antrim House Collection
However, by the 1870s the gold in Hokitika was dwindling, and Hannah was forced to sell his wares elsewhere. Moving to Wellington, he opened R. Hannah & Co. in June 1874, securing a prime location on Lambton Quay for the company’s headquarters. In those times a quality pair of boots were a necessity, and the business quickly prospered as customers flocked to buy Hannah’s superior product. The business was so successful that by the late 1890s R. Hannah & Co. had outgrown its headquarters on Lambton Quay entirely, prompting Hannah to hire Wellington architects Penty & Blake to design the Hannah Warehouse and the Hannah Factory off Cuba Street.
Local tradesmen started construction on the Hannah Warehouse in the early 1900s, but the building wasn’t fully completed until 1904. Once finished it was immediately put to use as a storage facility for the company’s raw materials, and the building remained in use for another 90 years, until the Hannah family sold the property in 1994.
In 1997 the Hannah Warehouse was renovated by Leeds Street Development, in step with the growing demand for apartment living in Wellington. The eco-conscious architecture firm, Watt Architects, was responsible for the redesign of the building, and they took great care to minimise the environmental impact of the renovations while preserving the historical integrity of the warehouse. Residents began moving in at the start of 1998 and Pizza Pomorodo moved in two years later, cementing Hannah Warehouse’s status as a pillar of the Te Aro community.
A stylised drawing of the Hannah Warehouse, taken from the original 1997 prospectus.
A rare photo of the Hannah Warehouse during the 1997 renovations.
In 2014 the Hannah Courtyard was part of the Laneways Project, a Wellington City Council initiative that aims to beautify Wellington’s inner-city laneways. Thanks to this programme, the Hannah courtyard now features bright pink shoe themed parking spaces, zig-zagging graffiti art and an oversized light bulb. These quirky pieces of art help to make the courtyard more inviting while drawing attention to the rich history of the local community.