Situated on the corner of Pitt and Elder Street, 16 Pitt House was designed by James Louis Salmond (1868-1950) and built by William Henderson (1855-1932) in 1898 as a residence for Alfred Charles Hanlon, Q.C. (1866-1944). The building is of architectural and historical significance and forms a prominent position near the corner of Pitt and Elder Streets.

Both iwi history and archaeological evidence show Māori occupation in the Ōtākou / Otago region since the 12th century. Today, Kāi Tahu mana whenua is recognised over a large part of Te Wai Pounamu. Kāti Māmoe and Waitaha shared occupation are always acknowledged. The hapū Kai Te Pahi, Kāti Moki, and Kāti Taoka still maintain their presence and responsibility as kaitiaki in this region. While there were no permanent settlements around George Street, the area near the Toitū Tauraka waka (List No. 9774) at the current Exchange Plaza, was known as Ōtepoti.

The house was built for and occupied for 46 years by Alf C. Hanlon, Q.C. who rose to fame as Minnie Deans defence lawyer. Family history states the house was a wedding present from Richard Hudson (of biscuit and chocolate fame) to his daughter Mary Ann and his new son-in-law, Alf. Early in 1898 the section was bought for £335 ($NZD $72,887.46 today) with a permit applied for in January for building; the Hanlon’s moved into the house November that year. An enthusiastic amateur actor, Hanlon named the house “Elsinore” after the castle in Shakespeare’s’ Hamlet.

The original design was a two storey Victorian villa with a roof comprising three gables and one hipped end. The gable ends occur on the prominent façades, facing the street. These are formed with slight projections to the façade, and both contain hipped-roofed two storey bays within. A classically styled, entrance portico was supported on delicate posts adorned with Victorian cast iron filigree, immediately above is a balcony with a gabled “lean-to” roof with Victorian timber fretwork and cast iron. Windows to the bays were round and flat-arched, leaded with keystones on the ground floor, but were flat topped with pediment moulding to the first floor. The tracing to gable ends, was gothic like, especially to the Elder Street gable with its steeper pitch. Construction was timber throughout with variegated and shaped slates to the roof, plastered brick chimneys and plastered foundations.

The architect was James Louis Salmond and much of his eclectic style is incorporated into the exterior design such as the finials and timber quoins. Most of the external Victorian detail was removed during 1922 when a major renovation project was carried out, still under the Hanlon’s ownership and under the original architect Salmond. The Victorian ornamental work was replaced, and the sash windows were converted to leadlight casements. The entire transformation was a move towards the Arts and Crafts movement that was popular at the time. The interior was changed also, but in a less dramatic fashion with finer Victorian details remaining.

The Hanlon’s sold the property to Michael and Isabel Haggitt in 1958 who made further alterations in 1965. It sold in 1993 and again in 2008 and has just been sold to new owners at the time of this report in March 2023. Some of the 1920s changes have since been reverted to the original Victorian style.