The house is one of the few domestic residences still standing in this part of Thorndon; the encroachment of the Government Centre, and the proliferation of office blocks and apartments have long ended the predominantly residential character of the area. However, Pipitea Street still retains some of its older houses and forms something of a precinct of two-storey timber and brick houses with those still standing on the eastern side of Murphy Street.
Adjacent to the houses are developments of modern high density townhouses, high rise modern commercial buildings, and several large state and private schools.
Pipitea Street at its western end is made up of large office buildings, generally owned or tenanted by the state sector / government organisations. There is a large empty site opposite the State Services Commission on the north of Pipitea Street, and this is flanked by a new high density development of bland taupe and teal coloured townhouses. These townhouses continue from the vacant site at the northwest end of Pipitea Street to the intersection of Piptea and Murphy Streets to the east, and lie directly opposite the former VSA House. On the south of Pipitea Street is the bland modern St Paul’s office / retail building, and its neighbour the former Ministerial House at 41 Pipitea St (1941), and the circa 1890 Italianate Villa at 39 Pipitea Street (both listed on the WCC District Plan). A sympathetically designed modestly scaled modern building at 37 Pipitea Street acts as a gatehouse to the high rise St Paul Apartment block that lies to the west and south of the former VSA House. A two storey timber clad house, of a similar size, age and style to VSA House (but with some intrusive modern alterations) completes the street block to Murphy Street.
Further east along Pipitea Street is Wellington Girls College a large secondary school with a diverse range of buildings, and the Cook Islands High Commission, a two storey Italianate villa wedged uneasily in the corner of the new Revera House on Mulgrave and Pipitea Steets. Another building of note in the precinct is Old St Paul’s Cathedral (HPT Category I) at 34 Mulgrave Street.
