Mansfield Court Hotel

• unknown
• (original plans)
• 1905
• Corner Horner Street and Mansfield Street [277 Mansfield Street], Temperance Hotel (00053:121:6704)
• 1966
• 277 Mansfield Street, out building alterations – hostel (00058:443:C18974)
• 1973
• 277 Mansfield Street, upgrade hostel (00058:889:C39491)
• 1978
• 277 Mansfield Street, upgrade residential building (00058:1153:C49696)
• 1989
• 277 Mansfield Street, garage (00059:310:E17979)
• 2010
• 277 Mansfield Street, upgrade the fire alarm system and evacuation routes (00078:3553:211199)

• unknown
• Not assessed

Not assessed

The Mansfield Court Hotel was constructed with a light timber frame, clad in rusticated weatherboard, on concrete foundations and piles, with the roof originally clad in corrugated iron. The building is two-storey, featuring a central portico and tower built onto (and over) the front verandahs. These elements provide the main architectural feature of the building in what is otherwise a plain and utilitarian building. The main entry is capped by a fretwork pediment above a round archway, giving emphasis to the entry. A similar arch on the first floor is capped by a cornice and the square tower above. The tower has a small hipped roof. The building was designed with a distinct Italianate touch, and was originally much more ornate than it appears today. Parapet decoration, a cast iron capping to the tower, and fretwork between the verandah posts has all been removed and the ground floor balustrade has been boarded over. Enough remains, however, to give an indication of the decorative quality of the original design.

Internal modifications carried out in 1965 to designs by Structon Group Architects included a new kitchen, sitting room, garage (with access from Horner Street), laundry and boiler room, as well as the refurbishment of the existing bedrooms.

Timber framing

Rusticated weatherboards

Concrete foundations and piles

Originally corrugated iron roofing

The Mansfield Court Hotel has provided accommodation in Newtown for over 90 years, serving many different parts of society and undergoing a number of different modifications to meet the changing needs and changing standards of accommodation. The Mansfield Street façade has had decorative features removed, but the form of the verandah and tower are intact, and give the building a marked visual appeal and add a great amount of visual interest to the streetscape.

• 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?

  The former Mansfield Court Hotel is a very good representative example of a timber Italianate Edwardian hotel. It is notable for its distinctive street façade with its tower and covered verandahs.

• 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?

  This building is a local landmark as one of the largest and most ornate buildings on Mansfield Street.

• Association

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

  The former Mansfield Court Hotel was built originally as a ‘private’ or temperance hotel. It has an historic association with both alcohol prohibition and the temperance movement – two parts of the most divisive social issues in late 19th and 20th century New Zealand.

  The building also has a long use as a private hotel and hostel, and has been owned both by private owners and the Government. It is now a halfway house, an important element of New Zealand social welfare network and health systems. It also has historical value as a building designed by James Bennie, a prominent Wellington architect from the period.      

  
  

• Archaeological

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

  Central City NZAA R27/270 and near sites of significance to Maori.

• 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 building contributes to a sense of place and continuity as a representative of a private hotel that has been in use as a hotel or hostel for over 90 years.

• Sentiment Connection

  Is the item a focus of community sentiment and connection?

  This building is a focus of community connection for the role that it plays in Wellington as a halfway house

• 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?

  This building has had a number of modifications that have stripped some of the decorative qualities from the street façade. It retains original fabric and the general form of the building is intact, which gives this building authenticity and visual appeal. The interior has had significant alterations that match the changing uses it has been through to meet changing standards of accommodation.

• Local Regional National International

  Is the item important for any of the above characteristics at a local, regional, national, or international level?

  This is a locally significant building that retains functional uses as well as retaining a significant amount of original material and authenticity. It has some local rarity value as an example of a timber Italianate Edwardian hotel.

• Rare

  Is the item rare, unique, unusual, seminal, influential, or outstanding?

  The building is a locally rare example of a surviving Edwardian timber Italianate hotel.

• Representative

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

  This building is a representative example of an Edwardian timber commercial private hotel and as an example of James Bennies work. There are few similar buildings in Wellington.

Not assessed

• New Zealand Historic Places Trust. ‘James Bennie’. Professional Biographies, accessed 29 July 2013,
• Salient, Victoria University Student’s Paper. Vol. 28, No. 1. 1965. Accessed 29 July 2013.
• Wellington City Council. Wellington Heritage Building Inventory: Non Residential Buildings. Wellington City Council 2001
• 00053:121:6704
• 00058:443:C18974
• 00058:889:C39491
• 00058:1153:C49696
• 00059:310:E17979
• 00078:3553:211199

• Inventory Report
• 1905 drawings

Not available