Wains Hotel

Job Wain started his first hotel in downtown Dunedin in the 1860s, at the height of the Otago gold rush.

He continued to buy nearby properties, and in 1878 contracted to have a major new structure — costing £14,000 — built in Princes Street, designed by Mason, Wales, & Stevenson.

At that time, the Exchange area where the hotel was constructed was the heart of Dunedin's central business district, so it was very well positioned for major trade.

[1] The Wains Hotel building has an Italianate style, with an elaborate façade noted for its columns, pilasters, and carved figures.

At ground level, substantial columns of Port Chalmers basalt breccia rise, topped with capitals of Kakanui limestone.