Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects has learned that Wellington architect Rob Mitchell passed away in Melbourne on 27 November 2022. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.
Rob was a son of architect Allan Hawthorn Mitchell. Allan ran the practice Mitchell and Mitchell with his brother Cyril Hawthorn Mitchell. Rob helped around the practice from a very young age.
After leaving school he studied for his New Zealand Certificate in Draughting while continuing to work in the office.
Allan died in 1973 and the practice was taken over by the two remaining senior architects, Terry Gooch and Ernest Kerswill. They encouraged Rob to seek architectural registration and join the partnership. Rod MacDiarmid also joined, and the practice became Gooch Mitchell MacDiarmid. The practice thrived in the mid-1980s with a wide variety of work including the Wrightson Bloodstock (later New Zealand Bloodstock) sales centre at Karaka in South Auckland, a new library building for the DSIR at Gracefield, government office fit out work and some commercial/retail developments for MLC Insurance Company.
Rob is survived by his sons Nick and Richard. A memorial service will be held for Rob at 10am on Friday 10 March at Old St Paul’s, 34 Mulgrave St, Pipitea, Wellington.