Strengthening works underway for Cambridge Museum

Cambridge Museum will be closed from June 6 while its building undergoes seismic strengthening work.

The museum building, located at 24 Victoria Street in Cambridge, is owned by Waipā District Council and requires seismic work to bring it up to 50 percent of the National Building Standard. The building is currently set at 25 per cent.

The work includes new gutters, a new roof covering plus timber reinforcement to the internal trusses, reinforcement to the brick chimneys and the parapet and gable end on the façade will be braced to the timber roof structure, all while ensuring the historical exterior of the building is maintained. The work is expected to cost approximately $400,000.

Manager – property services David Varcoe said the project was budgeted for in Council’s 2021-31 Long Term Plan, following a 2019 report which shows the building is currently sitting at a Grade D rating. The Grade D rating meant Council had 25 years to perform remedial seismic work to get the building above the required 34 per cent rating, which is the minimum requirement set by the Building Act. The report also confirmed that the building could continue to be occupied during this time.

“We’ve been working with Cambridge Museum to make sure the works have been planned around their exhibitions, so we can minimise the impacts as much as possible. This is a quiet time of the year for the Museum, so we’re keen to get stuck in and get it sorted.

The building is listed as category 2 historic building by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, which outlines the exterior appearance must be maintained, in its original state.

It is expected that the Museum will be able to re-open in mid-July.

The Cambridge Historical Society Incorporated own the collections and operate the museum.