Berhampore State Flats, Art Deco apartment complex in Berhampore, New Zealand
Berhampore State Flats is a complex of 48 one-, two- and three-bedroom units and 11 garages at 493–507 Adelaide Road, designed by F. Gordon Wilson of the Department of Housing Construction. Buildings on the northern side are limited to one storey to maximise sunlight, and all upper-level units have balconies. A community centre sits in the central garden area.
In March 1938 the First Labour Government announced Berhampore as the site of its first block of multi-unit state flats, part of a scheme launched after 1935 to give every New Zealander a home Walter Nash called "fit for a cabinet minister". F. Gordon Wilson, chief architect of the Department of Housing Construction, designed the 48 units, completed in 1938–39. The Housing Corporation renovated the complex in 1987, and it gained Category I historic place status in 1998.
The design reflects ideas about shared living through communal green spaces and a central meeting hall that brought residents together. These shared facilities shaped how neighbors interacted and showed new thinking about how people should live in cities.
The complex is located at 493-507 Adelaide Road and is easy to access and explore from the street. Visitors can view the exterior and the central courtyard without restrictions, providing a clear look at the building layout and architectural details.
The northern blocks were kept to a single storey so that sunlight could reach the units behind them, and every flat above ground level got a balcony. The complex also had 11 garages and a community centre in the central garden.
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