Plimmer House, built circa 1868, has architectural, aesthetic, and historical significance. A rare, well-preserved example of Carpenter Gothic architecture in Wellington, its authenticity and position among modern high-rise buildings adds character to the streetscape, contributing to its architectural and aesthetic significance. Its association with the Plimmer family, descendants of the prominent businessman and ‘father of Wellington’ John Plimmer, gives the building historical significance, and has contributed to its status as a well-known Wellington landmark. This status has been strengthened by its long association with inner-city dining, particularly Boulcott Street Bistro, which has operated in the building since 1991.

The human presence in Wellington began with the explorer Kupe, who travelled to Aotearoa New Zealand from Hawaiki, the ancestral Polynesian homeland of Māori. Following permanent settlement in Aotearoa, the rangatira Tara, son of Whātonga and the eponymous ancestor of Ngāi Tara, travelled south from Māhia Peninsula and settled at what came to be known as Te Whanganui-a-Tara, the great harbour of Tara. They were later joined by Ngāti Ira. Other iwi who made a home there included Ngāti Kahungunu, Rangitāne, Ngāi Tahu and Ngāti Māmoe. Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Tama and Ngāti Mutunga migrated south from Taranaki in the 1820s and early 1830s during a period of great upheaval associated with the introduction of Pākehā muskets into te ao Māori.

Following Pākehā settlement in 1840, William Wakefield of the New Zealand Company began subdividing the land around what was then known as Lambton Harbour into town acres, despite the land not having been sold by its Māori occupants. The land on which Plimmer House now stands was part of town acre 479 granted to William Burgess in 1852. It was sold in 1853 and later subdivided, with one section purchased on 14 January 1868 by Henry Eustace de Bathe Brandon.

Previous research has suggested a possible construction date range of 1872-1874 based on mortgages taken out on the property. However, rate books indicate a house was on the land in 1867, while the valuation doubled in 1868, suggesting it may have been constructed then. The architect is unknown, as previous links to Charles Tringham are not supported by conclusive evidence. A popular idea that Brandon had the house built as a wedding gift for his wife is also tenuous. The theory that it was constructed by building firm Scoular and Archibald is supported by testimony from Janet Scoular Johnston, a descendent of the builder Thomas Scoular. Irrespective of its construction history, it is a rare surviving example of Carpenter Gothic architecture, particularly in central Wellington, with characteristic steep-pitched gable, decorative barge boards and fretwork, a finial and pendant, and an octagonal tower.

Brandon sold the house in 1878, and it changed hands several times before being sold in 1911 to Isaac (Harold) Plimmer, grandson of the well-known merchant and (somewhat controversially) proclaimed ‘father of Wellington’ John Plimmer. The house remained in the Plimmer family until 1960, although it was hardly occupied by the family during this period. Harold Plimmer died at Gallipoli in 1915 and had left the house to be divided amongst his surviving family (his father, Charles Plimmer, his mother, and his two sisters, Mary (Mollie) and Ella (Girlie)) who lived at 93 Boulcott St. However, his will was only found following Charles Plimmer’s death in 1930, and a legal settlement of his estate in 1934 left the house to Girlie. She did not occupy the house until a few years before her death in 1958. In 1960 it was bought by wool broker Leo Tattersfield, who intended to use it as a wool brokers’ office and residence.

From the 1960s, the future of the house was debated as the valuable inner-city land was subject to development pressures. Suggestions to relocate it were rejected due to cost, practicality and a desire for preservation. The house was instead converted into a restaurant, which opened in 1971. Considerable alterations to the interior were made during this time, including renovations which would allow the building to be easily relocated if its removal from the site was deemed necessary. In the early 1980s the house was threatened by the planned construction of an apartment building on the site. After lengthy debate between the Historic Places Trust (now Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga), Wellington City Council, and the site’s owners, Plimmer House was granted a Protection Notice in 1983 on the condition that the Trust consented to the house being moved forward on its site, and the apartment building constructed behind it. Since 1991 the building has been occupied by Boulcott Street Bistro, a popular restaurant in Wellington, which has helped to solidify Plimmer House as a Wellington landmark.