The Heritage Hotel is easily one of Auckland’s favourite buildings. Before 1998 it was The Farmers Building (built in 1914), a six story department store that housed, on its top floor, the largest indoor playground in the country. It was also this building that originally displayed the colossal Santazilla statue for the children to worship every December. He was defeated by the Auckland City Council in 1990 and found a new home above the Whitcoulls building in the same year The Heritage Hotel opened its doors . (see The New Father Christmas).
Jan 102010
Jan 072010
A mannequin stares out the same window of the old El Jay store onto Kingston Street, opposite the Auckland District Court, wearing the same Christian Dior dress she’s had on for years.
From 1954-1988, Gus Fisher, whose name is most known to the public for the Art Gallery he founded, produced clothing made under licence from Christian Dior, in Paris, under the
name El Jay.
His work has been the subject of more than one retrospective show, and the window of this building, left unchanged for many years, is often subject to longing stares by both fashionistas and the nostalgia hungry who pass by.
This might seem like an odd thing for me to post, because from what I’ve seen, it’s one of the most photographed “icons” in Auckland City.
It’s a bit of an outrage that we’ve been subjected to the new Santa Claus head. To those that aren’t aware, the tradition of having the giant Father Christmas standing on the corner began decades ago at the old Farmer Department Store on Hobson Street, which is now the Farmers Heritage Hotel (called so to differentiate it from the Heritage Towers.) After the department store closed down and the building was converted into apartments, we were without the usual Santa Claus that used to stand on the corner.
This was fine with a lot of people, since his slow wink and beckon weren’t the most attractive additions to the landscape, but you know, it was what it was. It was something that I, and many others like me, grew up with. A trip to the big city at Christmas time would always include a visit to Farmers, its children’s play area with Santa’s cave, dizzying neverending tricycle rodeo on the top floor, and the giant, squinty eyed Santa.
It was all very nice of Whitcoulls to resurrect the statue so we could have it again, and fair enough that he no longer winks or beckons, as the noise of either or both of these things would have been deafening to the residents of the renovated building, but come on, leave the poor guy’s face alone.
Addendum (Karl): This shot was taken a few nights before the face was unveiled. Santas face was covered, I guess, to promote discussion and curiosty. For years people complained it was kind of creepy looking, with that mechanical beckoning finger and one half blinking eye. I’m glad he’s had a make over…