The Club

Cloaked in ivy and sitting against a backdrop of modern skyscrapers, it’s easy to see how the four-storey Northern Club building was considered a grand highrise when it was built back in 1867.

Perched on the corner of Princes Street and overlooking Albert Barracks, the quarrystone building served the city as the Royal Hotel until 1869. It was then that a forward-thinking group of Auckland’s movers and shakers purchased the brick Italianate-style building. The 120 founding members called on architect Edward Ramsey to rearrange the hotel’s internal rooms and the Northern Club was born. The distinctive Virginia Creeper began to take hold in 1927 and the building was granted Category 1 status by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust in 1988.

A stunning renovation in 2008 by Fearon Hay saw the overhaul of the 1970s extension and resulted in an eclectic but elegant juxtaposition of old and new.

Over the years the Club has opened its arms to other prestigious clubs, merging with the Auckland Club in 2010 and The Officers Club in 2007.