HISTORICAL DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS: INTRODUCTION: The Braemar Flats are located on the western side of The Terrace. The Terrace - as its name suggests, was a naturally formed terrace at the back of Lambton Quay. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries The Terrace was a favoured location for residences of some of Wellington's wealthy citizens. However, as the city began to develop, The Terrace slowly transformed into an area accommodating commerce as well as flats and apartments. This was particularly the case during the decade following World War One. WELLINGTON'S BUILDING BOOM OF THE 1920s: During the 1920s Wellington underwent a major building boom unprecedented since the first years of the establishment of the city eighty years before. The boom was facilitated by an economy relieved from the doldrums of the war years, and a resulting change in the labour market that saw an increase in the number of people being employed in service-orientated jobs as opposed to primary production. One of the more noted aspects of the building boom was the rise in multi-storey reinforced concrete buildings. In the late nineteenth century the ever-present fear of earthquakes had meant that Wellingtonians had been cautious of building large masonry structures. By the beginning of the twentieth century changes in building technology, particularly in the use of reinforced concrete and steel, meant that buildings could be built taller and stronger. In addition insurance companies offered the incentive of lower fire premiums to those who constructed in materials other than timber. Other factors that influence the construction of high rise buildings in Wellington at this time were the limited availability of suitable land for expansion of the city and increasing land taxes that reduced the value of older and smaller buildings. As a result, many two-storey buildings in Wellington's central business district were demolished and replaced by multi-storey office blocks. Elsewhere in the city, for example Te Aro, residential areas were put under pressure to make way for factories and warehouses. To accommodate the loss of residential dwellings, a number of apartment blocks were erected along Oriental Parade, the Terrace and Te Aro. Government spending on large building projects revived the building boom of the 1920s, although the building boom was temporarily halted by the Depression. In total between 1919 and 1939 more than 200 new buildings (excluding houses) were constructed in Wellington's central business district. Among that number were 32 apartment buildings, including the Braemar Flats. (This number does not include apartments erected on Oriental Parade). THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE BRAEMAR FLATS: In April 1924 Henry John Jones and John Cameron, builders, acquired part of Town Acre 471 from the Presbyterian Property Trustees. The latter had recently constructed a new church (St Andrew's Church on the Terrace, 1922-1923, Category I historic place No.3571) on the adjacent land (Town Acre 472) following the destruction of the previous church by fire in 1920. Jones and Cameron had already submitted to the Wellington City Council in January of that year a plan to erect a block of flats. Designed by the Wellington-based architectural firm of Crichton, McKay and Haughton (see biography below), Braemar Flats was planned as a five-storey building with a service level containing a box room and services, and four storeys of residential space. Each storey above the ground floor was be identical in layout, containing three flats. The front and back flats contained two bedrooms, while the flat facing north (overlooking St Andrews Church) contained only one bedroom. The Braemar Flats bears an outwardly striking similarity to Inverleith Flats on Oriental Parade. The latter was designed by Frederick de Jersey Clere and Llewellyn E. Williams and built in 1922. Built only three years before Braemar Flats, it is regarded as one of the earliest apartment buildings in Wellington. It is not known exactly when the construction of the Braemar Flats was completed, but it was probably between 1924-1925. At that time the east side of The Terrace (from Bowen Street) contained a mixture of residential houses, schools (e.g. Wellesley College, Banks College), religious buildings (St Andrews, the Synagogue, and the Congregational Church), and medical practices. However, the Braemar Flats were certainly one of the first (if not the first) such multi-storey apartment buildings erected on the Terrace. A survey of the Post Office Directories for the years 1924-1925 indicates that most of the residential accommodation was houses. There were boarding houses and clearly some houses had been divided into two or three separate flats. However, there is no evidence that a large scale apartment building of the type that the Braemar represents was built before Braemar. In 1925 Jones and Cameron joined with William Tripe and Eva Jones to form Braemar Flats Limited. Tripe lived at 23 Bolton Street, which the Braemar Flats backs on to. It is almost certain that Tripe was the son of Dr William Tripe, a prominent doctor in Wellington in the late nineteenth century. Although the shareholders changed over time, the company essentially remained a family business owning and managing the Braemar Flats for the next forty years. The first record for Braemar Flats in the Post Office directories was for the year 1928, which suggests that by sometime in 1927 the building was fully tenanted. Intriguingly the 1928 directory suggest that the building was not built to plan or, shortly after construction was finished, part of the ground floor was converted for use as a medical specialist's consulting rooms. Other changes to the building at this time were the construction of caretaker's accommodation and another flat or penthouse on the roof of the building in 1927. The plans that exist for this addition are for a caretaker's accommodation and the provision of two further rooms connected to via a staircase to the Terrace facing flat on the fourth floor below. It is most likely the latter was abandoned in favour of a penthouse - as later plans and Post Office Directories show. BRAEMAR FLATS AS A MEDICAL CHAMBERS 1925-1970s: The medical chambers were first occupied by Dr Alan Park (1897-1971). Park may have had a surgery on this site prior to the building of Braemar. Park was a prominent figure in New Zealand medical circles during the mid twentieth century. At the time he had his private practice on the Terrace he was honorary surgeon to the children's division of Wellington Hospital (1925-1930) and then honorary assistant surgeon at Wellington Hospital (1930-1940). During World War II he served in the New Zealand Medical Corps. He was elected honorary general secretary of the New Zealand Branch of the British Medical Association in 1941, but was only active in that office from 1944-1947 due to his military service. He resumed his practice in 1944 and became senior visiting surgeon to the Hutt Hospital (1944-1947), later moving to Tauranga in 1947. He is credited with playing an important role in settling a dispute between the Labour Government and the medical profession concerning the introduction of social security benefits. He also sat on the Cleary Committee (Medical Service Committee); the decisions of this committee had an enduring effect on New Zealand's general medical services system. Over the years other medical practitioners also used the ground floor of the Braemar Flats as consulting rooms. Among these were Dr Frank Leo Hutter (1910-1985), Dr. Robert Welton Hogg (?-1961), Maxwell John Lovie (1938- 2000) and Richard Thomas Aldridge (1930-1999) all of whom had prestigious careers in their chosen profession. The use of the northern end of the Terrace for doctor's surgeries was not new. Nearby is 22 The Terrace (Formerly Christian Science Sunday School, Category I historic place No. 220), which was built in 1866 for Dr Leonard George Boor and used as his surgery. It remained a doctor's consulting rooms until 1930 when it was sold for a hotel development that was later abandoned. Across the road and slightly further up the Terrace is the Rainey Collins Building (or Woodward Chambers, Category II historic place No. 3616). This masonry building was built in 1906 for Mr H Rawson, a prominent dentist, as a residence and surgery. Interestingly Crichton and McKay also designed this building. However, in the 1920s there was a marked increase in the number of doctor's surgeries on the lower northern end of the Terrace and this may have been partly brought about by the construction in 1912 of the private Bowen Hospital, in nearby Bowen Street. In 1927-1928 the Medical Chambers Ltd constructed Kelvin House at 16 The Terrace, replacing another doctor's surgery (that of Dr. William Herbert). Medical Chambers was a company of medical practitioners who had collected together to provide medical and dental facilities in one place. Later, in 1938, the British Medical Association built its first permanent offices on the site once occupied by the manse of St Andrews Church (26 The Terrace). BRAEMAR FLATS 1925-1970s: A remarkable variety of people lived in the Braemar Flats and most were probably well to do. Among their number were civil servants, company managers and directors, accountants and nurses, as well as a number of widows. For example, two prominent civil servants, Thomas Brook and P. V. Miles, lived in the Braemar Flats. Brook, who had a flat on the third floor, was a surveyor by training and at the time he lived in Braemar Flats he was the Valuer-General, a position he held from 1925 to 1934. P. V. Miles, who lived on the fourth floor in the mid 1930s, was appointed superintending engineer of the Post Office in 1935 and Chief Engineer in 1939. He is credited with working on the first radio installation on Tinakori Hill and the first fully automatic exchange in New Zealand. He was also responsible for the planning and preparation of the first coaxial telephone cable across Cook Strait prior to World War II. Other notable occupants were Sir John Reed (Judge of the Supreme Court 1921-1936), Ms Anna M Plimmer, and a master mariner by the name of J Mawson. CONVERSION TO OFFICE ACCOMMODATION 1965 -: In December 1963 the property was sold to a Phyllis Mary Jessen and the following year Braemar Flats Limited was wound up. By this time the original shareholders had died and their shares had been passed to (mainly) family members. Jessen sold the flats to Crestaire Properties in 1965 and from about this date the occupancy of the building became increasingly commercial. By 1971 only two of its long-term residents, a Mrs Bannerman (who lived on the fourth floor) and a Mrs Agnes Duncan (who lived on the fifth floor) remained in residence. They shared the building with the New Zealand Institute of Valuers, Dalgety New Zealand Ltd (premises division), the Consulate General of the Peoples Republic of Bulgaria and, for a time, the architect William Lavelle. The doctor's consultancy rooms remained on the ground floor. BRANDONS 1975 -: In August 1975 the Braemar Flats were acquired by a group of solicitors perhaps best known as Brandons. Brandons is one of Wellington's oldest law firms, having its origins in the practice begun by Alfred de Bathe Brandon (1809-1886) who arrived in Wellington in 1840 as one of the New Zealand Company settlers. He set up business at what became Brandon's Corner, at the corner of Lambton Quay and Bowen Street, not far from the Braemar Flats. Over time Brandons had a number of changes of name, personnel, partners and buildings. Brandons did not occupy the whole of the Braemar Flats, but appears to have established a chambers in the building, leasing part to various other lawyers including Thomas Eichlebaum Q C (later Sir Thomas and Chief Justice of New Zealand (1989-1990)). In 1989 the Braemar Flats were sold to Selmisia Holdings Limited which was owned by Donald Forsyth, one of the solicitors who jointly acquired the building in August 1975. In 1992 ownership was transferred to Braemar Holdings, which is owned by Forsyth and David Underwood. Throughout this time Brandons has remained in the Braemar Flats. Today the firm is simply known as Brandons and the Braemar Flats appear as part of their logo.

A site visit was undertaken by Imelda Bargas (NZHPT) and Dr Ann McEwan (consultant) on 31 March 2008. They were accompanied by Donald Forsyth, Director of Braemar Holdings Limited and of Brandons Lawyers and Vicky Hays of Brandons Lawyers. The following physical description is written by Dr McEwan. GENERAL LOCATION: The Braemar Flats are located on the western side of The Terrace, on the western fringe of Wellington's central business district. The Terrace is a major centre of commercial and governmental activities and it borders, to the west, the educational and residential environments of Victoria University of Wellington and the suburb of Kelburn. Standing on the section of The Terrace bounded by Aurora Terrace to the south and Bolton Street to the north, the Braemar Flats are the southern-most of a group of four structures pre-dating 1940 (St Andrew's Presbyterian, NZ Medical Association and the former Dr Boor's house). Together these buildings make a notable, historic contribution to a built environment that is dominated by high-rise Modernist office buildings, most of them erected during the 1980s. DESCRIPTION OF THE SITE: The Braemar Flats have a rectangular footprint and they occupy roughly two-thirds of an almost rectangular site. The building is located closest to the east and south boundaries of the site. Car parking at the rear of the building is partly accommodated on the Braemar site and partly on the adjacent lot owned by St Andrew's Presbyterian Church. Vehicle access to the rear of the site is provided by a driveway running along on the northern boundary, which also accommodates four car parks immediately adjacent to the building's northern elevation. Overlooking the rear of the property is the treed residential environment of Bolton Street and, beyond that, the vegetation and dwellings of Tinakori Hill. From the vantage point of the Braemar Flats roof terrace it is easy to appreciate The Terrace's central position in the transition from the CBD's high-rise development to the leafy western suburbs of the city. EXTERNAL APPEARANCE: The Braemar Flats are contained in a six-storey building with a rectangular footprint. The building may best be described as inter-war modern in design and appearance, featuring little in the way of applied ornament but gaining some decorative effect through the articulation of the wall surface and the rhythm of the fenestration on the north and east-facing elevations. The west and south-facing elevations are much plainer in appearance, although the south wall is punctuated by pairs of fire escapes coming off cantilevered balconies on the first, second, third and fourth floors. Recessed balconies on the same floors on the north elevation may once have functioned as fire escapes but are now covered over with wire mesh for safety and security reasons. This treatment is to be expected with concrete construction wherein the external and internal appearance of the wall surface is determined by the timber formwork into which the concrete is poured. The building is painted sienna brown with a darker brown trim on the window sills, string courses on the four-storey oriel windows, the projecting cornice atop the fourth floor and the eaves of the fifth floor penthouse. The roof of the latter is clad in Marseilles red clay tiles and is largely comprised of two hipped sections in an L-shaped configuration. The east-facing elevation, which abuts the footpath, has an entrance to a small shop set within the southern-most bay of the facade. Historically and contemporaneously, however, the main entrance to the building is positioned slightly off-centre on the north side of the building. This entry provides access to the main entrance hall, the stairs and elevator. The building is lit by casement windows set with four-panes over a single light. These are steel-framed and used singly, paired or in triplets according to the requirements of the building's internal layout. On the first, second, third and fourth floors the oriel windows create visual interest on the exterior of the building. However, their primary purpose is to maximise daylight into what was originally the three living rooms on each floor and the main bedroom of the apartment running across the front of the building. INTERNAL DESCRIPTION: The plans dated December 1923 indicate the provision of three apartments per floor on the first, second, third and fourth floors, with service and storage rooms in the erroneously named basement (which is in fact the ground floor) and a flat roof occupied only by the elevator's machinery room. The vestigial appearance of a central entrance on the street frontage, and the fireplace within the meeting room in the north-east corner of the building, confirms the changes made to the ground floor plans in order to accommodate the doctor's surgery. Despite some uncertainty about the historic disposition of the front or eastern ground floor, it is relatively easy to relate the original floor plans to the layout of the remainder of the building as it is today. Gone are the residents, but in their place lawyers and other office workers occupy the bedrooms and living rooms of the apartments, with little alteration to the building's fabric. The original bathrooms and kitchenettes serve a variety of purposes, from storage and office accommodation, to toilet facilities installed by Brandons after they purchased the building in 1975. The two most significant alterations to the internal use and layout of the building are the insertion of a small coffee shop in the south-east corner of the ground floor (since c.1988) and the much more substantial addition of a penthouse flat and service rooms on the roof top. The latter dates from 1927 and thus followed closely upon the completion of the building. The building's concrete walls have no doubt prevented other major alterations to the internal layout. The 1927 addition to the rooftop appears to have resulted in an additional apartment overlooking the street and another overlooking St Andrew's Church. A row of small service rooms was also added at this time along the south-western edge of the roof, adjacent to an open space evidently used for drying laundry. In 1976 Brandons commissioned Synaxon Hill Group Architects to alter the north-facing roof-top apartment to create a conference room and lounge for the practice. In addition to the removal of some internal walls, the chief features of this alteration visible today are the large plate glass sliding door opening out on to the roof terrace and the tongue and groove panelled ceilings over each new internal space. The Braemar Flats most notable internal features include the encaustic tile flooring at each landing level and at the principal side entrance, the original cage elevator, internal doors and door furniture, including the apartment numbers attached to the door jambs and above the doors of former flats, and some fire surrounds.