DESCRIPTION: The Granger Road Property was purchased in 1925 for the purpose of establishing a Diocesan Orphanage for girls under the supervision of the Sisters of Mercy. Auckland's first Star of the Sea orphanage had been established in Freemans Bay in 1878 initially with fifty girls. Upon the sale of that site to the Auckland Gas Company in 1912, the building was dismantled and rebuilt at Northcote only to be destroyed by fire in 1913. A few months later "The Pah", now Monte Cecelia, was purchased and used as a temporary orphanage until 1925 when the Howick property was purchased. A large house on the Granger Road site served as the convent until it too was destroyed by fire in 1929. Fifty girls accommodated in the adjoining brick dormitory escaped harm. A new convent, chapel and additional dormitory block were built in 1930-31. The chapel is dedicated to the memory of Henry William Cleary (b.1859 - d.1929), Bishop of Auckland from 1911 until his death in 1929. Bishop Cleary oversaw the initial stages of the design for the re-building project. The orphanage was completed by March 1931; but it was the decision of Bishop Liston not to have an official opening of the chapel or dormitory blocks in view of "the period of sadness through which the Dominion was passing". Distress resulting from unemployment and difficult economic conditions of the time had been overshadowed by the Napier earthquake of February 1931. The orphanage was designed to obtain the greatest amount of sunlight in all rooms and took advantage of sea views. Initially 75 girls ranging in age from pre-school to 18 years were accommodated. The Sisters also developed a day school for local Roman Catholic children. Introduction of the orphans' benefit in the Social Security Act 1938 contributed to a decline in the number of orphans in institutional care generally in New Zealand. Children deprived of the care of both parents through death or by severe poverty also decreased nationally as a result of improved standards of living following the 1930s depression and World War Two. In later years the Star of the Sea Orphanage was referred to as a "Girls' School" and the girls as boarders. In late 1976 the orphanage closed. Two years later the Sisters withdrew from the convent. The Star of the Sea School was integrated into the state school system in October 1982. The school now has a lay staff.
Location
List Entry Information
Overview
Detailed List Entry
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 2
Access
Private/No Public Access
List Number
5430
Date Entered
8th August 1993
Date of Effect
8th August 1993
City/District Council
Auckland Council
Region
Auckland Council
Stay up to date with Heritage this month
