Belgrave is the northernmost of a group of three adjoining Italianate houses, and reflects high-status urban design in late colonial Auckland. Constructed in 1885, the two-storey dwelling was erected in lower Symonds Street, one of the city's earliest thoroughfares. Prior to the mid 1860s, the Symonds Street ridge was at the epicentre of British colonial power in New Zealand, containing Government House, the Albert Barracks and the General Assembly building. Noted for its ongoing inclusion of high-status institutions such as the Supreme Court, the ridge became increasingly popular as a residential area for the town's commercial leaders in the 1870s and 1880s, after the transfer of colonial administration to the newly designated capital at Wellington and the departure of British troops.
The property occupied by Belgrave was initially part of an endowment reserved by Governor George Grey under the Grammar School Trust Deed of 1850. In the 1860s, timber structures were erected on the site by lessees, John McRae and James Allen, respectively a settler and journalist. As property values rose, the Auckland College and Grammar School Trust sought to improve its income by demolishing existing structures and creating new subdivisions, specifying that dwellings on each property should cost no less than ₤500. In 1884 Alexander Campbell, a merchant draper, leased the subdivision occupied by Belgrave, erecting a new, elegant dwelling the following year. This appears to have been built for rental purposes as Campbell himself lived in nearby Domain Street.
Belgrave was constructed in an ornate Italianate design that was fashionable in the 1870s and 1880s, particularly among merchants, whose commercial premises were often built in a similar style. Its frontage was symmetrical, unlike its two neighbours that were erected to the south at a similar time. Befitting its financial value, Belgrave was built of durable materials, incorporating lime or cement scoria walls and a slate roof. Comparatively few concrete structures had previously been erected in the colonial centre of Auckland, although nearby buildings in Princes Street and Bankside Street were also erected of this material in the mid 1880s. Built on sloping ground, the building contained two main storeys for reception rooms and bedrooms, with a kitchen and service rooms probably located in its basement. A rear verandah looked out over a large back garden, and offered more distant views across Grafton Gully to the Auckland Domain.
Although apparently designed as a large family residence, Belgrave was completed just as the urban property market collapsed. Its first occupant was Mrs Andrew Craig, the widow of a plumber, who may have employed the property as a boarding house from the outset. This form of use became increasingly popular for large inner city dwellings during the depression of the late 1880s and 1890s, when many wealthier residents moved to suburban locations. In the 1920s, the building was known as Montrosa, subsequently evolving into an apartment house containing 23 apartments or bed sitting rooms, some of which were contained in a rear annex. Following its acquisition by the University of Auckland in the 1960s, the building housed the Town Planning Department, then the Political Studies Department, its current occupants. Its rear garden was removed by the early 1980s, when a large Arts Building was erected. Alterations were carried out to the main house at a similar time, including the removal of the later annex and other elements, particularly in the eastern part of the structure.
Belgrave is aesthetically significant as one of a cluster of three imposing and ornate Italianate villas, enhanced by its tree-lined frontage to Symonds Street. It is architecturally significant as a surviving example of a two-storey colonial dwelling of urban design, evidently built to house citizens of standing. The place has historical value for its association with the conversion of the Symonds Street ridge into a desirable residential district following the departure of the colonial capital to Wellington. It is of technological value for its concrete construction, potentially showing evidence of specialised building techniques and materials from a period when such construction was uncommon.
The property occupied by Belgrave was initially part of an endowment reserved by Governor George Grey under the Grammar School Trust Deed of 1850. In the 1860s, timber structures were erected on the site by lessees, John McRae and James Allen, respectively a settler and journalist. As property values rose, the Auckland College and Grammar School Trust sought to improve its income by demolishing existing structures and creating new subdivisions, specifying that dwellings on each property should cost no less than ₤500. In 1884 Alexander Campbell, a merchant draper, leased the subdivision occupied by Belgrave, erecting a new, elegant dwelling the following year. This appears to have been built for rental purposes as Campbell himself lived in nearby Domain Street.
Belgrave was constructed in an ornate Italianate design that was fashionable in the 1870s and 1880s, particularly among merchants, whose commercial premises were often built in a similar style. Its frontage was symmetrical, unlike its two neighbours that were erected to the south at a similar time. Befitting its financial value, Belgrave was built of durable materials, incorporating lime or cement scoria walls and a slate roof. Comparatively few concrete structures had previously been erected in the colonial centre of Auckland, although nearby buildings in Princes Street and Bankside Street were also erected of this material in the mid 1880s. Built on sloping ground, the building contained two main storeys for reception rooms and bedrooms, with a kitchen and service rooms probably located in its basement. A rear verandah looked out over a large back garden, and offered more distant views across Grafton Gully to the Auckland Domain.
Although apparently designed as a large family residence, Belgrave was completed just as the urban property market collapsed. Its first occupant was Mrs Andrew Craig, the widow of a plumber, who may have employed the property as a boarding house from the outset. This form of use became increasingly popular for large inner city dwellings during the depression of the late 1880s and 1890s, when many wealthier residents moved to suburban locations. In the 1920s, the building was known as Montrosa, subsequently evolving into an apartment house containing 23 apartments or bed sitting rooms, some of which were contained in a rear annex. Following its acquisition by the University of Auckland in the 1960s, the building housed the Town Planning Department, then the Political Studies Department, its current occupants. Its rear garden was removed by the early 1980s, when a large Arts Building was erected. Alterations were carried out to the main house at a similar time, including the removal of the later annex and other elements, particularly in the eastern part of the structure.
Belgrave is aesthetically significant as one of a cluster of three imposing and ornate Italianate villas, enhanced by its tree-lined frontage to Symonds Street. It is architecturally significant as a surviving example of a two-storey colonial dwelling of urban design, evidently built to house citizens of standing. The place has historical value for its association with the conversion of the Symonds Street ridge into a desirable residential district following the departure of the colonial capital to Wellington. It is of technological value for its concrete construction, potentially showing evidence of specialised building techniques and materials from a period when such construction was uncommon.
