Teasey’s Building & Garage

Following my theme of ghost names on buildings that no longer refer to the current occupants I draw your attention to Teasey’s Building No. 34 and Teasey’s Garage No 32 on the east side of Devonport Road.

William Teasey, early 1900s
Cabinet card portrait by Charles A. Winn of Remuera, Auckland
Brain Watkins House Collection

William Thomas Teasey arrived in New Zealand as a young man with the purpose of working for his uncle Mr J Wright in his draper’s shop on The Strand. Teasey left Caledon in County Tyrone in the area from which many of George Vesey Stewart’s Katikati settlers originated. In 1899 Teasey was able to buy a drapery business from Thomas Stuart and he married in that year Ada Brain the eldest daughter of Joseph D Brain, boat builder of Tauranga. The couple had two sons Harry and Wilson. The shop was located in The Arcade on the corner of Wharf Street and The Strand. Meanwhile Mr Wright continued with his business the "Temple of Fashion" on The Strand.

Harry and Wilson Teasey
Large format studio portrait by unidentified photographer
Brain Watkins House Collection

William Teasey widened his range of goods from drapery and a “good selection of Irish linen goods from Belfast” to bicycles in 1908 as interest in them gained popularity in Tauranga. He took part in cricket, the Methodist Church activities, shooting and the Acclimatisation Society, the Chamber of Commerce, he was secretary of the Tauranga Domain Board and became a J.P. He prospered and in 1911 William and Ada Teasey took a trip with their two young sons to visit “the old country.” From 1921 advertisements were appearing in the paper for Maxwell & Teasey land agents and although Maxwell’s name eventually disappeared from advertising Teasey continued to follow this occupation. Teasey’s drapery business moved to premises on the west side of Devonport Road opposite where he was to build his own building.

Teasey's Garage, Devonport Road, Tauranga, Estd. 1932
Tauranga City Libraries Image Ref. 15-223
Copyright Rodney Giddens CC BY-NC 4.0

Tauranga expanded and consolidated its commercial centre in the 1930s as the population grew to 3000. Teasey’s Building is a good example of commercial Art Deco style featuring the stepped façade with chevron details, raised plaster lettering and a rectangular patterned band along the top of the parapet. Wilson Teasey’s garage from 1932 predates the retail building which William T Teasey built in 1939 on the site of his small brick office from which he had operated as a land agent for some years. When the building was first built it provided retail premises on the ground floor, offices upstairs including a room for a piano teacher, with some accommodation at the rear of the first floor. The Tauranga Rowing Club began with meetings in a shed at the back of Teasey’s building before they moved to more appropriate premises on the water’s edge.

Recently the building has been strengthened to meet earthquake requirements.

References

Matthews & Matthews Architects, Tauranga CDB Heritage Study 2007 (for TCC)
Bay of Plenty Times

Photographs
Brain Watkins collection, Tauranga City Library Pae Koroki