House

302 Tinakori Road, Thorndon, Wellington
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Image: Charles Collins, 2015
Image: WCC - Charles Collins, 2015
Cityview GIS 2012
Cityview GIS 2012
Map

  • Constructed

    1902 - 1903

  • Heritage Area

    Thorndon Shopping Centre

  • Architect(s)

    Crichton and McKay

  • Builder(s)

    J W Fossette

  • Designed as a mirrored pair by well-regarded Wellington architects Crichton and McKay, 300 and 302 are part of the group of narrow multi-storey houses that are a distinctive feature on this part of Tinakori Road. 

    The houses at 296-306 Tinakori Road derive much of their aesthetic value as a group of buildings constructed in a similar style and of a similar age that have had few intrusive modern additions or alterations. The repetition of scale, form and decorative elements contribute to the unity and cohesion of the streetscape. 

    296-306 Tinakori Road are a group of buildings that form part of the Thorndon “tourist trail”, and evidence of their popularity include the number of images (drawings, paintings and photographs) of the group that are available in pamphlets, books and online.

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  • close History
    • 300 and 302 Tinakori Road are a pair of houses in the centre of a row of six houses designed and constructed in the first decade of the 20th century.   The two houses were designed by Crighton & McKay for Mrs Blick in 1902. The houses at 296, 298, 304 and 306 were designed by Rob Roy Macgregor for Thomas Joseph McCarthy, in 1902. 

      Thorndon is known to have been occupied by various Iwi in the years before European settlement. Tinakori Road in the 19th and early 20th century developed as a key transport route that linked the Hutt Road, lower and upper Thorndon, and the routes to the western suburbs of Northland and Karori. The street is known for its mix of large houses (generally to the north) and cottages (generally to the south), and as the location of Premier House at 260 Tinakori Road that was purchased by the Crown in 1865.  

      The terrace of houses at 296 – 306 Tinakori Road all appear to have been built as speculative housing, and were generally designed to appeal to landlords and their working/ lower middle class tenants.   The location of the buildings must have had much appeal as the terrace is situated immediately adjacent to Thorndon’s main shopping area at the intersection of Ascot Terrace and Tinakori Road. Other local amenities include the Botanic Gardens that were substantially complete by 1900,  and the tram route (c.1904) from Molesworth Street to the Botanic Gardens that later ran on to Karori.  

      300 and 302 Tinakori Road

      This pair of houses was built by J.W. Fossette for Catherine Blick in 1902.  Designed as a mirrored pair by well-regarded Wellington architects Crichton and McKay, they are part of the group of narrow multi-storey houses that are a distinctive feature on this part of Tinakori Road. 

      Blick sold both properties to Hannah Broad and in 1911 Clare Christie, purchased 300. She and her descendants kept the property until 1947.  The house was used in the early 1900s partly as a fish and oyster saloon and partly as some sort of boarding house. A long standing tenant from the 1920s to the 1940s was seaman John McArthur.  The property was briefly owned by Graham Peters, who wanted to build a motel over this and nine other houses in the vicinity, and who applied for a permit to “demolish two flats” but, fortunately for the historic character of the area, the plan never eventuated.  Since then the house has been owned by a variety of people, including garden historian Walter Cook, in the early 1980s. Until that time, most of the occupants were tenants. The house was later converted into flats. 

      James McIntyre purchased 302 in 1911. Most of the tenants of 302 were working class and short-term but Stanley Kirby notably stayed from the mid 1920s to the early 1960s. Early occupants of the shop on the ground floor are not listed in street directories but Auto Glass Replacements and Three-0-Two Licensed Second Dealers are listed in street directories as occupants from the 1960s to the 1980s.   In 1969 the building was converted into two flats.  

      In 1965 work began on the construction of the motorway that cut through Thorndon, and this major arterial route changed the character of the northern end of Tinakori Road and the Bolton Street Cemetery.  A consequence of this change was the introduction of measures to protect the remaining older buildings in the area through the local authority’s district scheme that began in 1976, and parts of Thorndon soon became a “Residential ‘E’ Zone”, a “Character Area” in 1993, and the “Thorndon Suburban Centre Heritage Area” under DPC 75 and the “Thorndon Heritage Area” and “Thorndon Urban Conservation Area” under DPC 77.

      The houses from 296-306 Tinakori Road form part of the Thorndon Suburban Centre Heritage Area and are much photographed, sketched and painted . The buildings appear in many blogs,  walking tour routes,   and tourist information sites,   and can be considered to make a strong contribution to the identity and sense of place of Thorndon. They also appear in Charles Fearnley’s “Vintage Wellington” (1970)  where the author wrote in praise of the contribution the buildings make to the “unity and cohesion” of the streetscape.

    • Modifications close
      • 1902
      • Two dwellings built (300 & 302) (00053:86:4931)
      • 1936
      • Both houses damaged by fire
      • 1909
      • Additions (00053:153:8467)
      • 1925
      • Garage (00056:4:B333)
      • 1969
      • Convert to two flats (00058:644:C29778)
      • 1978
      • Repile (00058:1139:C49190)
      • 1989
      • Alterations – shop front verandah (00059:351:E19122)
    • Occupation History close

      Not assessed

  • close Architectural Information
    • Building Classification(s) close

      Not assessed

    • Architecture close

      These two houses are a mirrored pair – built with an access gap between them, they sit hard against their neighbours on either side. Although of the same width and height as 296/298, the street elevation of each house is rather more articulated and detailed and the buildings consequently look larger and more substantial than their northern neighbours. The two houses show a distinct San Francisco influence in their styling and elaborate decoration.

      Each house is three storeys high (two full storeys and a basement), is topped with a simple gabled roof with shingles in the gable ends, and has a lean-to at the rear, gabled for 302 and a mono-slope for 300. The overall roof form is more complex, with two side gables behind the street front and a long hipped roof running out to the rear of each building beyond that, all in clad corrugated iron. The top floor has a full-width verandah with stained-glass screens to the sides and fretwork trims to the street front (the complex geometric balustrading on 302 is likely to be original). At the main floor, there is effectively a bay window, with tall double-hung windows, to the outside edge of the building and a semi-enclosed verandah at the inside edge. This has a distinctive arched screen to the street front. The basement floors are clad in timber, although that for 302 has been covered over in a thin sheet material – both basements appear inhabited.

    • Materials close

      Timber weatherboard cladding, sash windows, corrugated roof.

    • Setting close
      300 and 302 are part of a row of six tall and narrow houses that were built on adjacent sites in 1902. This row of houses are part of the Thorndon Suburban Centre Heritage Area that includes the shopping area around the intersection of Tinakori Road, Bowen Street and Glenmore Street. The streetscape is generally made up of two to three storey buildings built to the street edge. The buildings are generally Victorian or Edwardian, and are constructed in a high density on small sections.
  • close Cultural Value
    Designed as a mirrored pair by well-regarded Wellington architects Crichton and McKay, 300 and 302 are part of the group of narrow multi-storey houses that are a distinctive feature on this part of Tinakori Road. 

    The houses at 296-306 Tinakori Road derive much of their aesthetic value as a group of buildings constructed in a similar style and of a similar age that have had few intrusive modern additions or alterations. The repetition of scale, form and decorative elements contribute to the unity and cohesion of the streetscape. 

    296-306 Tinakori Road are a group of buildings that form part of the Thorndon “tourist trail”, and evidence of their popularity include the number of images (drawings, paintings and photographs) of the group that are available in pamphlets, books and online.

    • Aesthetic Value close

      • Architectural

        Does the item have architectural or artistic value for characteristics that may include its design, style, era, form, scale, materials, colour, texture, patina of age, quality of space, craftsmanship, smells, and sounds?

        300 and 302 Tinakori Road are good examples of Edwardian villa design that has been adapted to suit the narrow plot width and steep topography of a typical inner-suburban Wellington site. 

      • Townscape

        Does the item have townscape value for the part it plays in defining a space or street; providing visual interest; its role as a landmark; or the contribution it makes to the character and sense of place of Wellington?

        The pair are part of a row of six houses of a similar age and style that make a strong contribution to the identity and sense of place of Thorndon. This can be inferred by the wide distribution of images of these houses in photographs, drawings and paintings, on websites, walking tour guides, and in books.

      • Group

        Is the item part of a group of buildings, structures, or sites that taken together have coherence because of their age, history, style, scale, materials, or use?

        The buildings at 296-306 Tinakori Road derive much of their aesthetic value as a group of buildings constructed in a similar style and of a similar age that have had few intrusive modern additions or alterations. The repetition of scale, form and decorative elements contribute to the unity and cohesion of the streetscape.

    • Historic Value close

      • Association

        Is the item associated with an important person, group, or organisation?

        This pair of houses has some historic value for their association with the well-regarded Wellington architects Crichton and McKay.

      • Association

        Is the item associated with an important historic event, theme, pattern, phase, or activity?

        The buildings have a typical historical association with the development of the southern end of Tinakori Road from an enclave of working/lower middle class dwellings that later became the part of the first precinct of old buildings to be identified for protection under the first WCC District Plan. 

    • Scientific Value close

      • Archaeological

        Does the item have archaeological value for its ability to provide scientific information about past human activity?

        There is a high risk of accidental discovery of archaeological items on this site as the area is known to have been occupied by various Iwi pre – 1900. It is also part of the Central City NZAA R27/270 site. 

    • Social Value close

      • Public esteem

        Is the item held in high public esteem?

        296-306 Tinakori Road are a group of buildings that form part of the Thorndon “tourist trail”, and evidence of their popularity include the number of images (drawings, paintings and photographs) of the group that are available in pamphlets, books and online.

      • Identity/Sense of place/Continuity

        Is the item a focus of community, regional, or national identity? Does the item contribute to sense of place or continuity?

        The buildings have remained on site with few intrusive modern alterations or additions for over 100 years and contribute to the identity, sense of place and continuity of the Thorndon Suburban Centre Heritage Area. 

    • Level of Cultural Heritage Significance close

      • Representative

        Is the item a good example of the class it represents?

        This pair 300-302 Tinakori Road is a good example of an Edwardian villa design that has been adapted to suit the narrow plot width and steep topography of a typical inner-suburb Wellington site.

      • Authentic

        Does the item have authenticity or integrity because it retains significant fabric from the time of its construction or from later periods when important additions or modifications were carried out?

        The building retains much of its early/original building features.

    • Local / Regional / National / International Importance close

      Not assessed

  • close Site Detail

    • District Plan Number

      18/310.4

    • Legal Description

      Pt Lot 5 DP 700

    • Heritage New Zealand Listed

      Not listed

    • Archaeological Site

      High Risk of accidental discovery Central City NZAA R27/270 The area known to have been occupied by various Iwi pre - 1900

    • Current Uses

      unknown

    • Former Uses

      unknown

    • Has building been funded

      No

    • Funding Amount

      Not applicable

    • Earthquake Prone Status

      To be assessed

  • close Additional Information

Last updated: 11/27/2017 10:59:01 PM