My Favourite Building: art dealer Olivia McLeavey
“The 1960s is my favourite period of architecture and Freyberg Pool is a classic form of the period. The building is strong, decidedly modernist, elegant and confident.
Designed by Jason Smith from King & Dawson, it was built in 1963 with a butterfly roof and glass floor-to-ceiling walls. It’s a lovely building to be inside, flooded with light and beautiful views of the city and sea. In 2008 artist Victor Berezovsky was commissioned to paint ‘Portal’ to adorn the facade.
It draws attention to the building’s simplicity and modernist design and adds another layer to its aesthetic. Well-conceived changes have been made to the structure, opening up the street side and introducing a cafe and juice bar to reflect contemporary city life.
I love swimming so I spend a lot of time here, especially in winter when it’s too cold for the sea. If I don’t go to the pools, I still drive home past Freyberg – it marks the point where I say goodbye to the city and hello to the sea.”
Photography by: Russell Kleyn.
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