Tibor Donner

Tibor Donner (19 September 1907 – 11 March 1993) was Chief Architect for the Auckland City Council from 1947-1967.

Tibor Donner
Born(1907-09-19)19 September 1907
Szabadka (Subotica), Austria-Hungary (now part of Serbia)
Died11 March 1993(1993-03-11) (aged 85)
Auckland, New Zealand
NationalityHungarian
OccupationArchitect

Personal life

Tibor Karoly Donner was born in Szabadka, Austria-Hungary (now known as Subotica and part of Serbia), on 19 September 1907. He was the second child of Ladislaus Cornel Donner, an engineer, and Maria Donner née Kovats de Dalnok. He and his brother Cornel were brought up in the Lutheran faith of their father, and his sister Klara in the mother's Roman Catholic faith.

The family immigrated to New Zealand in 1927 aboard the SS Rimutaka. Donner studied architecture at Auckland University College and from 1935 until 1937 worked privately in the profession. In 1938 he joined the Public Works Department. He remained with the department until 1947 when he established the architectural office at the Auckland City Council. He was the council's Chief Architect until his retirement in 1967.

Donner married Margaret Bennett in 1934. The couple had one child, a daughter also called Margaret. Tibor Donner died at Auckland on 11 March 1993, survived by his wife and his daughter. His work left an enduring legacy to the people of Auckland.[1]

Ellen Melville Centre, formerly Pioneer Women’s & Ellen Melville Memorial Hall, Freyberg Square, Auckland

Design
The Michael Joseph Savage Memorial at Bastion Point
The Auckland City Council Administration Building

Donner's designs incorporated styles from North and South America which were often reflective of high modernism. Although they were influenced by international architectural trends, their usage of local materials also gave them a distinctly New Zealand flavour. Notable structures by Donner include Auckland's Savage Memorial (1941), Avondale Military Hospital - later converted into the high school (1943), Khyber pump station (1947), Parnell Baths (1951–54) and the Auckland City Council's Administration Buildings (1954–60). They reflect the confidence of Auckland during its rapid expansion in the postwar era.[1]

Donner's stylistic influences are particularly evident in the Auckland City Council Administration Building. The building draws significantly from the design principles espoused by Le Corbusier. Donner had visited New York City in 1956 to study Lever House and was aware of emerging contemporary styles (such as those of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe) but chose to reject them. It is significant that Donner had turned away from the more minimal contemporary style of building and the extensive use of glass, since this style is now very common in Auckland.[2]

List of works

Public buildings
YearBuildingLocation
1937Newmarket Post Office[formerly located at 180 Broadway, Newmarket - demolished in 1999]
1941Michael Joseph Savage Memorial36.845646°S 174.826103°E / -36.845646; 174.826103
1943Avondale Military Hospital (now Avondale College)36.8907°S 174.6903°E / -36.8907; 174.6903
1947Khyber Pump Station36.865759°S 174.761482°E / -36.865759; 174.761482
1951Auckland City Council Housing Developments[various locations in Freemans Bay and Parnell]
1951-54Parnell Baths36.849247°S 174.791364°E / -36.849247; 174.791364
1953-57Vehicle Testing Station[formerly located at 285 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn - now demolished]
1954-60Administration Building (Greys Ave)36.852844°S 174.76194°E / -36.852844; 174.76194
1958Auckland Centennial Memorial(Auckland Domain) 36.857638°S 174.774706°E / -36.857638; 174.774706
1959-61Pioneer Women’s & Ellen Melville Memorial Hall (now the Ellen Melville Centre)36.847657°S 174.766916°E / -36.847657; 174.766916
1960-61Pt Erin Baths36.839011°S 174.740791°E / -36.839011; 174.740791
1961-64Victoria St Parking Building36.849038°S 174.766429°E / -36.849038; 174.766429
1966Glen Innes Public Library36.879261°S 174.8567°E / -36.879261; 174.8567
1970Green Bay Kindergarten36.930229°S 174.675355°E / -36.930229; 174.675355

Houses

Aside from his work for the Auckland City Council and the Public Works Department, Donner also designed several houses in the hills around Titirangi. His former house is located in Kohu Road, but he also designed several others in the surrounding area for his friends.[3]

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gollark: No, they're compiled *once* on my laptop.
gollark: Because directly writing and updating HTML for 20 pages is no.
gollark: "HTML programmer"
gollark: I have a big eldritch node.js script which renders SASS to actual CSS, compiles Markdown to HTML, fills in templates, copies static files, minifies JS, and minifies HTML.

References
  1. "'Tibor Donner' (updated 20-Dec-2012)". New Zealand History Online. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  2. Tsow, David (1 February 2013). "Skyscraper was ahead of its time". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  3. "DONNER, Tibor". Lost Property. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
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