The monument was removed from its original waterfront location in the 1960s and the decorative spire and orb were lost while it was in storage. It was rescued from a Customs storage shed and re-erected in a diminished form next to the Maritime Museum in 2000 with a black stone orb in place of the original metal spire and glowing glass globe. Its ultimate restoration and return to a site near to its original position was undertaken as part of the Downtown Infrastructure Development Programme. DPA Architects' involvement required extensive historical research and documentation to re-create the memorial’s original design features that had been lost. These were recreated using 3D modelling technology combined with detailed analysis of historic imagery to ensure accuracy and authenticity. The Coromandel granite obelisk was restored, and an extra two tiers returned to the original four-step base. The interwoven bronze spire was re-created and a 500mm diameter hand-blown glass orb and LED lamp reinstated on top of the spire.

Photography: Patrick Reynolds