St Johns Presbyterian Church

St John's Church Building at the corner of Willis St and McDonald Crescent, built in 1886 under famous architect Thomas Turnbull, is a Wellington gem. Built of kauri and other native timbers, it is irreplaceable. It has now been earthquake strengthened over the period 2018 to 2021 at a total cost of $6.3m including essential maintenance discovered when the building was opened up.

Strengthening St John's:

* preserved an important historic building as part of Wellington's heritage

* ensured the safety of those using the building

* avoided the risk of the building collapsing into Willis St in an earthquake emergency

* allowed use of the building by the whole community for concerts, weddings, etc

Strengthening was carried out by L T McGuiness, to a plan by Dunning Thornton Engineers and under the advice of a Conservation Architect. The work tied the Church to its foundations, braced structures at risk, replaced rotten timber and tied the towers to the main building.

St John's has raised 80% of the original targeted $4.2m - $3.35m as at April 2021. The funds raised all help cover the cost of the major restoration work and have been spent only on that work.

Your donation now can still help complete the fundraising, just as many others have done.

See our video about the project!