Blair House (Former)

214 The Terrace, Wellington Central, Wellington
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Image: Charles Collins, 2015
Image: WCC - Charles Collins, 2015


Cityview GIS 2013
Cityview GIS 2013
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  • Constructed

    1883

  • Architect(s)

    Unknown

  • Builder(s)

  • 214 The Terrace is a good representative example of a large Victorian house. 

    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 home to the Blair family from the 1880s to the 1930s. John Rutherfurd Blair was a printer, publisher and educational administrator. He stood successfully as Wellington’s mayor in 1898 but resigned in 1897 due to ill-health. Blair was a man of broad sympathies, and he served on many boards including the BNZ, the Education Board and the Prisons Board. He was well respected in Wellington and flags across the city were flown at half-mast when he died in 1914.

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  • close History

    • The house at 214 The Terrace was the family home to John Rutherfurd Blair (1843 - 1914) and Jean Blair (née Cowan) (1839 – 1932). John Blair was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland and worked for a large Glasgow paper merchant before emigrating to Melbourne in 1860. He worked for Sands and MacDougall, a company that was in a ‘growth phase’ and later became one of Australasia’s largest firms of stationers, booksellers and printers. He married Jean Ferguson Cowan of Dunedin in 1869 and the couple moved from Melbourne to Wellington later that year. They lived on Abel Smith Street, and, as Blair’s business prospered, they moved to Wellington Terrace (The Terrace).

      Blair worked initially as the New Zealand agent for Sands and MacDougall, and then joined Wellington bookseller and stationer, William Lyon. William Lyon retired in 1874 and the company passed to his son, Horatio, who formed a partnership with John Blair as Lyon and Blair. Blair retained the name of Lyon and Blair when he bought out the remaining partners and soon established the business as New Zealand’s largest and most important printer, publisher and bookseller. He sold the business to Whitcombe and Tombs in 1894.

      John Rutherfurd Blair was known for his interest in education and was the chairman of several school boards of trustees. He also chaired the Wellington Education Board from 1882 – 1903 and was a foundation member and first chairman of the Victoria College Council. He was elected as Wellington’s mayor in 1897 but retired in 1899 due to ill health. Blair was also a well-known businessman and was a board member of several notable companies including the Gear Meat Company, the New Zealand Shipping Company, and the Bank of New Zealand. He was such a notable public figure that, when he died, flags across the city were flown at half-mast, and the grand house at 214 The Terrace reflects the family’s wealth and status. John Blair was survived by his wife and son, Robert Fergusson Blair. Jean Blair continued to live at 214 The Terrace until her death in 1932.

      The house at 214 The Terrace is difficult to date. The Blair family had moved to the property by 1883 and the 1892 Ward Map shows a smaller house, with a different floor plan, in the same approximate location of the current house. It is possible that the house was built in phases from c.1880 with alterations in 1898. Other sources suggest that the current house was built in 1902. It was converted into flats in 1936 and a small studio apartment was added in 1941. 214 The Terrace is now in use as serviced or short-term rental apartments.

    • Modifications close
      • 1892
      • A smaller building appears on the Thomas Ward survey map
      • 1898
      • (00053:42:2730) Wellington Terrace, addition to dwelling. Alfred H Harbottle for J Blair
      • 1936
      • (00056:174:B15389); 214 The Terrace, convert to flats
      • 1936
      • (00056:181:B15894); 214 The Terrace, garage
      • 1941
      • (00056:269:B21837); 214 The Terrace, dwelling B21837; 214 The Terrace, dwelling (bedsit/studio added to the rear of the property for Mrs Milne
      • 1944
      • SR9020890, Bldg Cons<500K, Dwelling, Site Address is 214 The Terrace,
      • 1980
      • (00058:1280:C54282); 214 The Terrace, re-pile in concrete
      • 1986
      • (00059:13:D3536); 214 The Terrace, repile, dwelling additions and alterations
      • 1986
      • (00059:38:D4429); 214 The Terrace, apartments
      • 2001
      • SR74759, RC a Res.Con, B: Addition to heritage building only (application amended 28 September)
      • 2009
      • SR191246, Bdg StrengthInv, NOT Earthquake Prone
      • 2011
      • SR222272, RC - a Res.Con, 1. Land Use: Construction and operation of a control building including permanent and temporary earthworks
    • Occupation History close
      • 1883 - 1914
      • John Rutherfurd Blair & family
      • 1914 - 1932
      • Jean Blair
      • 1936
      • converted into flats
  • close Architectural Information
    • Building Classification(s) close

      Not assessed

    • Architecture close

      214 The Terrace is a grand, two-storey, Victorian villa. The street façade is composed of a two-storey projecting ‘bay’ to the south that is topped with a hipped roof; the ground floor windows are set in rectangular bay, and the first floor window is a simple sash window with two narrow side-lights. The main entrance door is set under an unusual verandah, the posts of which support a first floor sun-room. There is a second rectangular bay window set under the verandah to the north of the main entrance door. The first floor accommodation is reached via an external stair to the north of the property.

      The main façade is clad in particularly wide rusticated weatherboards and the corners are finished with timber quoins. The only other decorative elements are the large timber brackets that support the eaves. The sun-room windows are casements and the remaining windows on the street-façade are timber sashes.

      The cast-iron fence to the east (The Terrace) of the property is also notable

    • Materials close

      Timber framing with rusticated weatherboard cladding

      Timber sash windows & some casements

      Corrugated mild steel roof

      Timber external stair

    • Setting close

      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.

  • close Cultural Value

    214 The Terrace is a good representative example of a large Victorian house.

    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 home to the Blair family from the 1880s to the 1930s. John Rutherfurd Blair was a printer, publisher and educational administrator. He stood successfully as Wellington’s mayor in 1898 but resigned in 1897 due to ill-health. Blair was a man of broad sympathies, and he served on many boards including the BNZ, the Education Board and the Prisons Board. He was well respected in Wellington and flags across the city were flown at half-mast when he died in 1914.

    • 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?

        214 The Terrace is a good representative example of the many large Victorian and Edwardian houses that line The Terrace.

      • 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.

      • 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.

    • Historic Value close

      • Association1

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

        The house was home to the Blair family from the 1880s to the 1930s. John Rutherfurd Blair was a printer, publisher and educational administrator. He stood successfully as Wellington’s mayor in 1898 but resigned in 1897 due to ill-health. Blair was a man of broad sympathies, and he served on many boards including the BNZ, the Education Board and the Prisons Board. He was well respected in Wellington and flags across the city were flown at half-mast when he died in 1914.

      • Association

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

        The house was occupied by a successful upper middle-class family and has an uneventful and representative history that is typical of its neighbours on The Terrace. 

    • Scientific Value close

      • Archaeological

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

        Central City NZAA R27/270, pre 1900 known human occupation

    • Social Value close

      • 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.

    • Level of Cultural Heritage Significance close

      • 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 house retains much of its early or original built fabric

      • 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

      • Representative

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

        The house is a good representative example of a large Victorian villa

    • Local / Regional / National / International Importance close

      Not assessed

  • close Site Detail

    • District Plan Number

      17/ 296

    • Legal Description

      Lot 1 DP 11166

    • Heritage New Zealand Listed

      None 2013

    • Archaeological Site

      Central City NZAA R27/270, pre 1900 known human occupation

    • Current Uses

      unknown

    • Former Uses

      unknown

    • Has building been funded

      No

    • Funding Amount

      Not applicable

    • Earthquake Prone Status

      Not Earthquake Prone

  • close Additional Information

Last updated: 11/27/2017 10:47:44 PM