History
Victoria Esplanade is a favourite destination for Palmerstonian’s.
A beautiful and extensive inner-city park adjacent to the Manawatu River, Victoria Esplanade was opened to mark Queen Victoria's 60th Jubilee.
In the heart of the Esplanade is Victoria House the home of Café Esplanade.
The original building plans are dated the 5th of January, 1891. Construction, which cost £7599s 11d, was carried out by local builders Burrell and King. The main architectural feature of the wooden single-storey building is the imitation brickwork at the corners, called quoins. Built-in 1889, Victoria House (alterations were made and the central portion extended forward in 1895) was Palmerston North’s third purpose-built central post office.
Originally located on the corner of Main Street and the Square, this historic post office was relocated several times throughout its life and eventually moved to sit behind the subsequent Post Office when this was built in 1905.
In the years that followed, the building was largely hidden from view until the site came up for redevelopment in 1988; the occupier Postbank donated the building to the Palmerston North City Council. The building was cut into three sections and shifted in the early hours of 10 March 1989 to its new location in the Victoria Esplanade.
The Manawatu Branch Committee of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (now Historic Places Manawatu-Horowhenua) commissioned an architect’s plan. Feasibility study of the move and the Miniature Railway Society donated $107,240 towards the cost of the relocation and restoration. At the same time, the Council oversaw the project and provided the remaining approximately $120,000 required for the refurbishment, which took place in 1990. That year, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust presented the Council with a National Merit Award to preserve the Post Office. The council initially leased the building to John and Liz Buxton, who opened the building as the Palm Grove Lounge, a tea kiosk, restaurant and function venue, in 1990.
In 2008 the business received an extensive makeover when it was purchased by the Vivian family, which retained the Victorian charm of the building while preparing the business for a busy life ahead as one of Palmerston North’s most popular destinations.
Reference: Palmerston North City Council Archives
