House
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Constructed
1896
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Architect(s)
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Builder(s)
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221 The Terrace is a good representative example of a large Victorian villa. It is notable for the elaborate ornamentation of its western (street) façade.
It has significant streetscape value as one of a group of similar grand villas that line the southern end of The Terrace.
The house was divided into multiple occupancies and has had an uneventful and representative history that is typical of its neighbours on The Terrace.
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Downloadable(s)
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History
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This villa at 221 The Terrace is one of eight houses built on Town Acre 194 by developer-builders Palliser and Jones in 1896. Although the house was built as a single-family residence, it has been in use as a hostel, boarding-house and self-contained apartments for most of its 110+ year history.
The house appears to have been built for Charles and Jane Ewen. Charles, at the time, was the General Manager for the Commercial Union Assurance Co Ltd, which had its New Zealand Head Office premises on the corner of Lambton Quay and Grey Street.
The house was converted for use as a Victoria College (Victoria University) student hostel in 1912. It seems likely that there were few internal alterations carried out to accommodate this use, as the house was later offered for sale as a grand family home in 1919. The auction notices, from this sale, described the house as a two-storey residence with six bedrooms, a dining room, drawing room, morning room, kitchen, scullery and ‘glassed-in back verandah’. It had electric lights installed throughout and was described as having a ‘magnificent view’ of the harbour and city. The first internal alterations are likely to date from the 1920s when it was converted into a combination of flats, rooms and bedsits, and these were advertised for rent from 1920 until at least 1938. The interior was further altered in 1962 when it was converted (formally) into five flats.
The house was renovated in 2003 and works included the removal of the street-front fire escape and landing; the reinstatement of the verandah and a first floor window (on The Terrace elevation); the insertion of two windows to the south elevation on the first and second floor levels; and the full height extension to the west (rear) elevation to replace the verandah and balconies. It is currently in use as short term rental accommodation.
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Modifications
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1892
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The house does not appear on the Thomas Ward survey map
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1962
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Converted to 5 flats (00058_259_C11503)
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2005
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SR109687 , Bldg Cons<500K, Extensions to bed sitting rooms, add laundry to bathroom, add dining room & bedroom
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2004
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SR118335 , RC - a Resource Consent, 2. Unit title subdivision
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Occupation History
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1910
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Charles Alfred Ewen – General Manager for the Commercial Union Assurance Co Ltd.
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Architectural Information
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Building Classification(s)
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Not assessed
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Architecture
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221 The Terrace is a grand, two-storey, Victorian villa. The exterior is clad in rusticated weatherboards with applied timber quoins.
The most arresting feature of the facade lies in the treatment of the projecting bay to the north of the elevation. The gable has plain pierced barge boards and terminates with a large finial. Filigree work has been incorporated into the spandrel of the gable, and the gable ends are supported by elaborate consoles which match the line of the quoins. The paired and arched windows on the first floor are capped by an elaborate hood; the enlarged voussoirs of the window arches break into, and appear to support, the triangular pediment of the hood in a playful builder's Italianate. The ground-floor features a large rectangular bay window that is topped by a hipped roof with a mini-gable end.
The inset section of the main façade features a c.2003 verandah that appears to be overly tall. This is, however, a welcome replacement to the 1962 fire escape stair. The small first floor window is a replacement for the 1962 fire escape door.
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Materials
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Rusticated timber weatherboards
Timber sash windows
Corrugated mild steel roofing
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Setting
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The Terrace was once known for its stock of timber Victorian and Edwardian villas that were built for the city’s upper middle-class. Although many villas have been replaced by high-rise office buildings at the north end of the street, the south end of The Terrace is characterised by these large dwellings – many of which have since been subdivided into apartments. Notable examples include Somerled House c.1880s (17/294) and Carrigafoyle 1903 (17/295), and the houses at 214, 221, 230, 244, 258 and 274 The Terrace that date from the 1890s to the early 1900s and are also listed on the WCC Heritage Inventory.
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Building Classification(s)
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Cultural Value
221 The Terrace is a good representative example of a large Victorian villa. It is notable for the elaborate ornamentation of its western (street) façade.
It has significant streetscape value as one of a group of similar grand villas that line the southern end of The Terrace.
The house was divided into multiple occupancies and has had an uneventful and representative history that is typical of its neighbours on The Terrace.
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Aesthetic Value
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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?
221 The Terrace is a good representative example of a large Victorian villa. It is notable for the elaborate ornamentation of its western (street) façade.
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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 house has considerable group value as one of a set of large Victorian and Edwardian villas that line The Terrace.
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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 house is one of a group of large Victorian and Edwardian villas that define the streetscape of the south end of The Terrace.
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- Historic Value close
- Scientific Value close
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Social Value
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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 house has had few modern alterations or additions over the past 100+ years and contributes to the sense of place and continuity of The Terrace.
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Level of Cultural Heritage Significance
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Local Regional National International
Is the item important for any of the above characteristics at a local, regional, national, or international level?
The house has local significance
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Representative
Is the item a good example of the class it represents?
The house is a good representative example of a large Victorian villa
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Local / Regional / National / International Importance
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Not assessed
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Aesthetic Value
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Site Detail
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District Plan Number
17/ 297
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Legal Description
LOT 4 DP 840
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Heritage New Zealand Listed
2/ 1374
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Archaeological Site
Central City NZAA R27/270
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Current Uses
unknown
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Former Uses
unknown
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Has building been funded
No
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Funding Amount
Not applicable
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Earthquake Prone Status
Not Earthquake Prone
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Additional Information
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Sources
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- Dominion, 4 June 1910, Page 2
- Dominion, 9 February 1912
- Evening Post, 8 January 1919
- Evening Post, 1 December 1920
- ‘Heritage Assessment: 221 The Terrace, application for additions and alterations.’ SR106786 24 September 2003
- Humphries, Adrian. - WC Archives email from to Barbara Fill - WCC Heritage Policy Advisor, 9 April 2003
- ‘N.Z Head Office, Corner of Lambton Quay and Grey Street’. The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Wellington Provincial District]. Wellington: The Cyclopedia Company Limited, 1897. Accessed 28 April 2014,
- PERSONAL NOTES Evening Post, 14 February 1938
- Terrace Villas Serviced Apartments website accessed September 2013
- WCA 00058_259_C11503
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Technical Documentation
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Not available
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Footnotes
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Not available
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Sources
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Last updated: 11/27/2017 10:48:28 PM