The Civic Administration Building, which dominates central Palmerston North, is the result of an architectural competition held in 1971 that was jointly won by Wellington architects Maurice B. Patience and his son John B. Patience (Maurice Patience & Son). PNCC had resolved to erect the new building in November 1972 and work finally began in 1974. It was completed in 1979 with a special Council meeting to celebrate its completion held in the new Council Chambers on 18th December 1979. The final stage of the building, the Convention Centre, was officially opened on 28th September 1980.
While the building’s formal names have graduated from ‘Civic Complex’ to ‘Civic Centre’, and then to ‘Civic Administration Building,’ it has also had ‘alterative’ names. These include ‘Elwood’s Battleship’ (after the mayor of the day), which then transformed into such things as ‘The Battleship’, due to its imposing appearance and as Elwood’s role receded into history.
