By Roselyn Fauth
Timaru, circa 1883, Dunedin, by Burton Brothers. Purchased 1999 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa (O.034093).
The Dominion Hotel – A Cornerstone of Timaru
Up by the Loop Road, where Bay Hill meets Stafford Street and the sea light hits the stone, stands one of Timaru’s most enduring landmarks.
Long before Stafford Street took shape, this land by the Bay was part of the coastal routes of Ngāi Tahu. The Dominion’s story is one layer among many — a place where people have always paused, gathered, and looked toward the sea...
A hotel has stood on this corner since 1872. The first, the Melville House, served travellers, sailors, and townsfolk at the growing north end of Stafford Street. In 1912, owner John Reilly commissioned architects Lusk and Moriarty to completely rebuild it, creating the Dominion Hotel we see today.
Birthday was 21 December 1912. The Timaru Herald announced: “The new Dominion Hotel opens today, offering comfort and modern fittings equal to any in the Dominion.” - A proud statement of Timaru’s Edwardian boom years — when the city’s prosperity was mirrored in stone and ornament.
The Dominion is an Edwardian landmark, a symmetrical façade, with its Ionic columns, rusticated pilasters, recessed balconies, and carved cartouches, still draws the eye. 1912 and J. Reilly remain set in relief below the cornice, a quiet reminder of the confidence of that era.
Built in brick, concrete, and Oamaru stone, the hotel was part of a wave of construction that gave Stafford Street its enduring classical rhythm. Inside were 36 rooms, a grand staircase, and fittings described at the time as “equal to any in the Dominion.”
Through the decades, the Dominion has adapted to changing times. When its bar licence ended in the late 20th century, the building became an art gallery, a youth space, and later backpacker accommodation. Today it stands empty but elegant, freshly repainted in crisp white with dark charcoal and gold details — still commanding the corner of Stafford and Sefton Streets.
Look up next time you pass 334–336 Stafford Street.
See the details, the craftsmanship, the pride carved in stone.
This building has stood through 113 years of change — proof that good design and a strong sense of place never go out of style.