Sonoma is an example of an elite urban residence erected in colonial Auckland, and is one of a significant group of adjoining houses linked with the creation of a well-to-do neighbourhood in the 1870s and early 1880s. Located on the Symonds Street ridge, the two-storey timber residence was constructed in 1877-78 on top of remains associated with the Albert Barracks. The Barracks had formed the largest military installation in colonial New Zealand, capable of housing approximately 1000 soldiers in the 1840s and 1850s. Possibly itself erected on the site of an earlier Maori settlement known as Horotiu, the fortification was decommissioned following the final withdrawal of British troops in 1870, after which much of the land was subdivided for private lease. The choicest allotments lay on the western side of Princes Street, next to the planned location of Albert Park. The redevelopment was consciously planned as an elite neighbourhood, being located next to places of high social status such as the Colonial Governor's Auckland residence (Old Government House), the Supreme Court (now the High Court) and one of the main cultural venues in the city (Old Choral Hall). Conditions were placed on the construction of all new residences, specifying that they should be of at least two storeys and cost a minimum of £700.
Lots 3 and 4 were purchased in December 1875 by chemist James Sharland (1819-1887). Sharland had set up in business as a chemist, druggist and general merchant in Taranaki in 1847, and is said to have brought the first recorded supply of drugs to New Zealand. He was also New Plymouth's representative on the Provincial Council in the 1850s and 1860s. After relocating to Auckland, Sharland's enterprise outgrew premises in the Queen Street area necessitating the construction of a new building in Kitchener and Lorne Streets, close to the Princes Street site. Particularly after publishing his Settlers' Guide and Household Companion on health matters in 1878, Sharland became a household name. Like many other Auckland merchants, he prospered in the economic boom of the 1870s.
Sharland constructed a large family house on the site in 1877-78, designed in a comparatively restrained Italianate style. Italianate architecture was often used for mercantile premises and residences in Auckland during the late Victorian period, being modelled on the designs of Italian Renaissance buildings erected from the proceeds of commercial wealth. Situated on the crest of a ridge, the house overlooked the general location of Sharland's business. Its designer and builder are unknown. Externally, the timber residence incorporated a flat frontage with a single-storey verandah. Internally it contained a wide central passage with large flanking rooms. Service areas were located to the south of the hall at the west end of the building. Several bedrooms were located upstairs. The residence was ornamented to a reasonable standard, with board and batten ceilings in most rooms.
For about three years following Sharland's death in 1887, his brother-in-law, Philip Philips lived in the house. Philips was a former mayor of Auckland who had been instrumental in having the Albert Barracks site vested in the Auckland Improvement Commission in the 1870s. He had also helped to establish the town's main synagogue on an immediately adjacent site in 1884-85. A leading member of the Jewish community and town clerk for 25 years, he can be considered Auckland's most prominent local government officer during the late colonial period. Shortly after his departure, the residence became a boarding house known as Sonoma, and by the early 1900s additions had been made. Occupation intensified with its conversion into flats in 1922, a function it retained until the 1950s. By 1954 the building was occupied by the Auckland University College as an Adult Education Centre. Along with adjacent houses, it was saved from demolition in the early 1970s and is currently (2007) used as a day centre for pre-school children.
Sonoma has aesthetic significance for its street and park setting, its striking external appearance and ornate detailing. It is considered to have archaeological value, incorporating evidence for remains connected with the Albert Barracks and other deposits linked to residential urban occupation. The main residence is architecturally significant as a well-preserved example of an elite urban dwelling in Auckland and as an example of an Italianate timber residence. It is of historical value for demonstrating the transformation of a major urban area into an exclusive residential neighbourhood for Auckland's commercial and professional elite in the late nineteenth century, and for reflecting the wealth and lifestyle of such groups and their prominent position in Auckland society. It is a significant part of an outstandingly important cultural and historical landscape on the Symonds Street ridge that retains numerous archaeological sites, historic buildings and other places linked to its role as the epicentre of early British colonial power in New Zealand, and as a subsequent residential neighbourhood of note.
Lots 3 and 4 were purchased in December 1875 by chemist James Sharland (1819-1887). Sharland had set up in business as a chemist, druggist and general merchant in Taranaki in 1847, and is said to have brought the first recorded supply of drugs to New Zealand. He was also New Plymouth's representative on the Provincial Council in the 1850s and 1860s. After relocating to Auckland, Sharland's enterprise outgrew premises in the Queen Street area necessitating the construction of a new building in Kitchener and Lorne Streets, close to the Princes Street site. Particularly after publishing his Settlers' Guide and Household Companion on health matters in 1878, Sharland became a household name. Like many other Auckland merchants, he prospered in the economic boom of the 1870s.
Sharland constructed a large family house on the site in 1877-78, designed in a comparatively restrained Italianate style. Italianate architecture was often used for mercantile premises and residences in Auckland during the late Victorian period, being modelled on the designs of Italian Renaissance buildings erected from the proceeds of commercial wealth. Situated on the crest of a ridge, the house overlooked the general location of Sharland's business. Its designer and builder are unknown. Externally, the timber residence incorporated a flat frontage with a single-storey verandah. Internally it contained a wide central passage with large flanking rooms. Service areas were located to the south of the hall at the west end of the building. Several bedrooms were located upstairs. The residence was ornamented to a reasonable standard, with board and batten ceilings in most rooms.
For about three years following Sharland's death in 1887, his brother-in-law, Philip Philips lived in the house. Philips was a former mayor of Auckland who had been instrumental in having the Albert Barracks site vested in the Auckland Improvement Commission in the 1870s. He had also helped to establish the town's main synagogue on an immediately adjacent site in 1884-85. A leading member of the Jewish community and town clerk for 25 years, he can be considered Auckland's most prominent local government officer during the late colonial period. Shortly after his departure, the residence became a boarding house known as Sonoma, and by the early 1900s additions had been made. Occupation intensified with its conversion into flats in 1922, a function it retained until the 1950s. By 1954 the building was occupied by the Auckland University College as an Adult Education Centre. Along with adjacent houses, it was saved from demolition in the early 1970s and is currently (2007) used as a day centre for pre-school children.
Sonoma has aesthetic significance for its street and park setting, its striking external appearance and ornate detailing. It is considered to have archaeological value, incorporating evidence for remains connected with the Albert Barracks and other deposits linked to residential urban occupation. The main residence is architecturally significant as a well-preserved example of an elite urban dwelling in Auckland and as an example of an Italianate timber residence. It is of historical value for demonstrating the transformation of a major urban area into an exclusive residential neighbourhood for Auckland's commercial and professional elite in the late nineteenth century, and for reflecting the wealth and lifestyle of such groups and their prominent position in Auckland society. It is a significant part of an outstandingly important cultural and historical landscape on the Symonds Street ridge that retains numerous archaeological sites, historic buildings and other places linked to its role as the epicentre of early British colonial power in New Zealand, and as a subsequent residential neighbourhood of note.
