This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1993. The following text is from the original Proposal for Classification report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. ARCHITECT: WHITE, Thomas Henry (b.1843 - d1923) The Unitarian Church was designed by Thomas Henry White who was born in Birmingham in 1843. After studying in Birmingham and Paris, White qualified as an architect in 1862. He arrived in Auckland in 1863 but returned to Britain in 1866. A deterioration in health brought about his return to New Zealand at an unspecified date, whereupon he bought a farm at Taupiri, Waikato. He began practising architecture in the Waikato in 1877 but in 1896 settled in Auckland. In 1904 he moved to Opotiki continuing as an architect until retirement. The extent of White's work in New Zealand is largely unknown. However he was an architect of regional importance and a pioneer in concrete construction in the 1870s. He was responsible for the design and construction of a concrete flour mill store in Ngaruawahia; Firth Tower, Matamata (1881-1882); St John's Presbyterian church (now union), Opotiki (1907), and the original BNZ, Hamilton (1878). White was a member of the Unitarian congregation in Auckland and Chairman of the Church Committee in 1901. Birmingham, where White was born and educated, was a strong centre of Unitarian fellowship in the mid-1880s. Likewise Paris, where White had also studied, was the main European centre in which established orthodox religion was challenged with implications in art and architecture. BUILDER: SMITH. W G ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: The Unitarian Church is one of few ecclesiastical buildings in New Zealand representative of the Martineau Gothic style. The exterior features a steeply pitched roof, the strong vertical emphasis of which is reflected in three lancet windows within the upper portion of the facade. This is expanded in the lower portion which consists of a verandah featuring two wide flanking arches and a central portion, now boarded in. Steps subsequently built to the two flanking arches produce a symmetrical effect rather than retaining the original vertical flow of the design. The simple exterior of the facade is relieved by minimal detailing featuring a quatrefoil motif within which a cross on a shield is featured. The three lancet windows have external timber trim which stands proud of the window opening giving the effect of windows with trefoil heads. (Similar windows occur along the sides of the building.) These decorative features articulate the facade whilst at the same time communicate the presence of a church. Ventilation holes in the underside of the flying gable on the front and rear facades are trefoil shaped. The horizontal emphasis in the filled-in gable is echoed in the verandah, the strongest horizontal point. The interior, lined with tongue and groove panelling with exposed roof in the nave, shows the Unitarians' preference for local materials and quality craftsmanship. Decorative elements adopted adhere to the Arts and Crafts style. Two separate entrances to the front of the church provide access to the main doors on either side of an entrance vestibule. The vestibule is lit by two 45-pane windows on the left is a library, to the right a small room accommodating the stairway leading to the choir loft. A lancet arch frames access to the nave. The nave is designed to suggest a meeting hall rather than a church. Six slender crown posts support arch braces creating a subtle but continuous line, emphasising the spaciousness of the nave areas and at the same time 'containment'. This resolves the emphasis on 'space' and the function of the 'hall' as a meeting area and social forum. The arch braces have a singular, elongated motif repeating the movement of the arch. The chancel area is incorporated into the nave. A matching entrance to that to the nave is flanked by the organ built in two sections. The pulpit is located off-centre of the left. The organ console and a small communion table occupy the central area. The organ installed in 1904 was build by George Croft and was the first example in New Zealand of tubular prismatic action to a divided instrument. At the time of installation it was the largest organ in Auckland and drew large crowds to the many recitals held by the Church. The pulpit, designed by White and carved by master carver J H Edwards of Garlic and Co. was also installed in 1904. It features Gothic tracery surrounded and counterbalanced by floral and plant motifs. The strong lineal design and the independent motifs distinguish the pulpit from the rest of the church making it a focal point. The pulpit and organ are central to the aesthetic and historical value of the building. At the rear of the church is an addition providing access via a flight of stairs descending to the basement area which accommodates small rooms, the kitchen and hall.