Established in 1898 as a railhead for the Central Otago railway line Ranfurly gradually became the main centre of the Maniototo.  Originally called Eweburn this was later changed to Ranfurly after the 15th Governor General, the 5th Earl of Ranfurly, who donated the ‘Log of Wood’ (Ranfurly Shield) for inter-provincial rugby teams.

The town developed rapidly with new buildings, constructed of wood and characteristics of the early 1900s were erected to accommodate its increasingly important position in the area.

The Maniototo County Council, Banks and other services all moved their offices to Ranfurly. However in the early 1930s, a series of disastrous and suspicious fires destroyed many of the town’s buildings including the town hall and hotel.

Local architects H McDowell Smith and builder JM Mitchell & Sons chose the simplistic Art Deco style of the Northern Hemisphere.  They were relatively cheap and easy to construct and construct of concrete, plaster or brick and were adorned with moulded embellishments, decorations and colours.  JM Mitchell & Sons continued to build in the Art Deco style well into the 1970s which gives Ranfurly a uniformity of design that is unique.

The rural economic downturn in the 1990s further exacerbated by the worst drought to date left 13 empty shops including the closure of the post office, local saw mill and the only petrol station.  This plus local government restructuring and amalgamation became the catalyst for the change.  Ranfurly fought back and a workshop was held in 1999 to look at ways to promote the town.  Local body politician Edna McAtamney came up with the idea of promoting the town as an Art Deco tourist destination.