Joseph Merrick was the inspiration of the play The Elephant Woman.
The Hunter Building is the original building of the Victoria University of Wellington campus in Wellington , New Zealand .. Victoria University of Wellington. Victoria University of Wellington. Wellington. Wellington. New Zealand. New Zealand. Built mostly of red brick in the Gothic-revival style , it was opened by the Governor of New Zealand , Lord Plunket , in 1904 , but construction was not completed until 1906 .. New Zealand. New Zealand. Gothic-revival. Gothic-revival. Governor of New Zealand. Governor of New Zealand. Lord Plunket. Lord Plunket. Initially the building housed the entire university , but as staff and student numbers grew other buildings were added .. After World War I , a stained-glass memorial window was added to the library in commemoration of staff and students who had died in the war .. The Hunter Building gradually become dilapidated and an earthquake risk , and there were demolition plans .. In 1981 the building was added to the Heritage New Zealand register as a Category 1 historic building .. New Zealand. New Zealand. Heritage New Zealand. Heritage New Zealand. Public and campus pressure led to the building being saved from demolition .. It has since been restored and earthquake-strengthened .. The building now hosts various administrative offices and the university 's council chamber , which occupies the old library .