Almost three years since it was razed by arson, Whakatāne’s iconic Bridgers’ Building has reopened as retail and office spaces combining heritage with contemporary.

Its first tenant, Apogee Legal, moved in this week.

Bridgers' Building was gutted by fire at the end of November 2021 after a car ram- raided the historic building, damaging the six businesses it housed.

Within a month of the blaze, Whakatāne businessman Glenn Van Asselt purchased the charred building to ensure it would not be demolished, and subsequently wipe away a part of the town’s history and leave a hole in the retail landscape.

Under his ownership, the facade was reinforced, and the ruined building was demolished.

The ground at the back of the building is reclaimed land and had to be dug down to 1.2 metres then hard compacted to give the new build a solid footing.

Two approximately 220-square-metre ground floor retail spaces have been built, with two 260sqm offices with a large deck facing the Whakatāne river, upstairs.

Three of the spaces are available for lease.

Construction took between six and seven months, aided by co-operative winter weather and above-average sub-contractors.

“The crew and subbies I had were amazing, and that’s the key,” Mr Van Asselt said.

The build was designed to meet modern seismic, liquefaction and H1 standards.

Part of Mr Van Asselt’s motivation for preserving this piece of history was personal connection; his mother worked in the building about 65 years ago.

Though the front retains its heritage, the interior and rear of the building are contemporary, taking advantage of its proximity to and views of the river.

Timber preserved from the original building has been repurposed in the new build as beams in the vaulted ceiling and windowsills.

The original facade has had a facelift from the original teal and white colour palette to a chic dark grey and white.

Mr Van Asselt said he thought it was important to look after Whakatāne’s heritage buildings, because they were visual drawcards for people visiting the town.

He employed the same thinking with The Comm, another iconic building he owns, where the heritage hotel is the frontal focus, with a contemporary motel at the rear.

Bridgers' Building was originally constructed around 1921 as an expansion of the booming department store by the same name, which was established in Ōpōtiki in 1894.

It was said at the time to have been as good as any shop in Auckland.