Thank goodness at least ONE of Auckland's landmarks is being saved! At the end of this month, the Birdcage Tavern (a Category One historic building) will be jacked up and gently transported 40m up Franklin Road.
The move is part of the Victoria Park tunnel project, which will run directly beneath the Birdcage's present site. The delicate job will take 6-10 hours.
When the hotel was built in 1885, as The Rob Roy, it was actually on the waterfront but since then reclamation has
pushed the harbour several hundred metres away (as seen in this 1841 map).When the tunnel is finished in about six months, the 125-year-old hotel will be moved back - not exactly onto its current position, but about 10m further forward, and rotated so its façade sits better with the Franklin Road/Victoria Street West junction. This'll create more open space for people in front of the tavern, where a public plaza has been planned.
So put Tuesday 31st in your diary now... it'll be a (slow and steady) sight to behold!
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