Leonard Victor Mitchell, ‘Human Endeavour’ (1956), War Memorial Library, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai Lower Hutt

Image: Bronwyn Holloway-Smith, Public Art Heritage Aotearoa New Zealand, 2022

Hutt City Council

War Memorial Library

Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga

Ron Muston

Ground floor, War Memorial Library, CBD, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai Lower Hutt

Human Endeavour

Leonard Victor Mitchell, ‘Their Sacrifice’ (1956), War Memorial Library, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai Lower Hutt

Ground floor foyer, War Memorial Library, CBD, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai Lower Hutt

Their Sacrifice [and] Preserved Freedom

Ron Muston was born in Leicestershire, England but educated in Aotearoa. He assisted with design of the 1940 Centennial Exhibition in Wellington working as the firm Walker & Muston. He joined Structon Group Architects and designed Dunlop and Firestone Rubber Co factories in Upper Hutt and Christchurch respectively. His main interest was church architecture - his designs for St James Church (Lower Hutt 1953) and St Joseph's Orphanage and Chapel (Upper Hutt) received an NZIA gold medal award. It was on the basis of the successful St James Church design that he was commissioned to design the Lower Hutt War Memorial Library that opened in 1956.

Received O.B.E. and Honorary fellowship of the American Institute of Architects. For fuller biographical information see AT 10/14 (22 May 1991); WWNZ 10th edition 1971.