Cooper & Curd Building (89 King Street)

Cooper & Curd was Pukekohe’s best known car sales and garage company. It was founded in 1904-1905 as a partnership between blacksmith Henry Curd and coachbuilder Conrad Cooper under the name Franklin Carriage Factory. They specialised in building wagons and carriages, and eventually expanded to become a funeral directors service Their modest initial premises were initially located around 44 Edinburgh Street, but in 1907 they commissioned the building of a ‘large factory and forge’, undertaken by Faucett and Mee. This building was enlarged in 1915 to accommodate a greater production capacity.

It was in 1913 that Cooper and Curd started offering motor vehicles such as Buick, Husand, and Dort, in addition to their coaches, a diversification that ensured their longevity as a business. The firm acquired this property in 1917 and converted it into a petrol station.

Cooper & Curd operated in the area for 80 years, a success that made them the second-largest employer in Pukekohe. As a testament to this, the rear of the Pukekohe Town Hall contains a C&C Roll of Honour, showing the names of all Cooper & Curd employees who served during the Second World War.

Cross Edinburgh Street at the crossing and continue walking along King Street.