The first stage of what is known today as the Landing Service building was erected in 1870 by Peter
McRae as a grain store. McRae, a local contractor, entrepreneur and hotelier who then leased the
building to Julius Mendelson.

The building is constructed from local bluestone and stands on the original shoreline of Timaru
harbour, at the eastern end of George Street. It was used by the Timaru Landing & Shipping
Company (which was formed in 1868 by Messers G G Russell, J Mendelson, H J Le Cren, Captain Cain
and Mr Turnbull) as a warehouse to store goods that were loaded and unloaded from ships in the
harbour.

The store was built so that drays delivering grain could offload at level with the first floor from the
bank behind the building (now Turnbull St). Grain could then be delivered to ferry boats which were
hauled up into the landing service on the eastern side of the building.

The NZ Loan and Mercantile Agency Company (later (1961) name change to Dalgety & Co) had
taken over McRae’s grain store and the Landing Service by the winter of 1875 and the company
enlarged the building in 1875-76 by adding the two rear hip-roofed bays, tripling the size of the
original building.

The buildings continued to be used as warehousing until they were sold to Timaru Council in 1984.
Under threat of demolition for a number of years, the building was saved and conserved in the late
1980’s by the Timaru Civic Trust with support from the local community. The building remains the
subject of a Heritage Order (dated 11 February 1985) and is now in hospitality, retail and tourism
uses.

• Heritage NZ Inventory: https://www.heritage.org.nz/the-list/details/326
• District Council Heritage - Link to be provided