Council gives four historic Auckland buildings category B heritage protection
A landmark hotel in Newmarket and a home dating back to one of the earliest families in Mission Bay are among four buildings to be given category B heritage protection by the Auckland City Council last night.
The Mary Atkin cottage, in a reserve of the same name on Kohimarama Rd, is near the site of a raupo hut built by William Atkin, who arrived at Mission Bay in November 1842 on the barque Tuscan.
Atkin later built a two-gabled weatherboard house in the 1840s. When it fell into disrepair, his only child, Mary, had it demolished and replaced with a near-replica on the same site in 1902, "as similar as possible to the old one with a gable each side and a veranda between.
But it lacked the large central vestibule in which the family had kept their numerous relics of Melanesia". These were given to a museum in Mission Bay.
The Atkin family supported the Anglican Melanesian Mission, and the cottage serves as a memorial to services to both the Melanesian Mission and the early Anglican Church in New Zealand.
The other three buildings to be listed in the Auckland district plan are:
* The Carlton Club Hotel, now operating as the Penny Black, on the corner of Khyber Pass Rd and Broadway.
* The Mt Eden Borough Council and Fire Station building, 62-64 Valley Rd, Mt Eden.
* A private home at 2 Castle Drive, Epsom.
The Carlton Club Hotel was designed by Edward Mahoney and Son and built in 1887 for the first mayor of Newmarket Borough Council, William Suiter, and his brewery company.
The Mt Eden building was designed by Wade and Wade between about 1909 and 1914.
The two-storey structure has "rusticated cement work" at the ground floor level, neo-classical details to the top storey and decorative pilasters on either side of the double windows over the main entry.
A fire station was added in 1924.
Diabetes Auckland moved into the building in March 1992 and it was renamed Nesfield House in honour of a patron, John Nesfield.
The two-storey villa at 2 Castle Drive dates to 1907-1908 and was built by William Elliott, a mining agent, who contributed towards the construction of the Wintergardens and the entrances to Auckland Domain.
The council has scheduled 18 category B heritage buildings since 2008 after the previous council called for nominations.
Other buildings to gain protection include the Paykel homestead at 42 St Stephens Ave, which sparked political interest in preserving threatened buildings; and the 1926 service station on Remuera Rd where racing legend Bruce McLaren grew up.
The council is working on two plan changes to preserve a further 11 buildings.
For details go to: Auckland City Council
