I was flicking around the Foxtel sports channels this morning and noticed that the 3rd Test, New Zealand v England is currently being played at McLean Park, Napier, so I thought I'd write about the Masonic Hotel on Marine Parade. The hotel was built in 1932 to plans by Wellington architect WJ Prouse. It is a long two storey building with a simple wooden pergola on the overhanging balcony. The name Masonic spelt out in a typically deco font.
Around the corner is a side entrance marked with a large piece of geometric decoration at the roofline and a glass canopy sheltering the doorway with Masonic spelt out in a joined series of stepped leadlight windows. A few years ago a delivery truck damaged the canopy but I believe it has been repaired.
The Masonic's website (it is easy enough to find in your favourite search engine) proclaims Napier's Largest Original Art Deco Hotel and there is a certain deco feel to the website but otherwise I found it very disappointing. There are no photos of the building or details of its history.
The Napier Art Deco Trust site on the other hand has a photo of the hotel on their home page but the hotel doesn't even have a link back to them.
The Masonic Hotel is a great building, a landmark building and a good place for a beverage after a hot day at the cricket or a sightseeing in New Zealand's Art Deco city of Napier.
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