Built by 1906, the house at the corner of Carr and Paris Streets in Dunedin is an aesthetically pleasing example of a square-front villa. Occupying a corner section it contributes to the streetscape of the area. It is a fine architectural and historical representation of the square- front villas, dating to 1904-1906, which dominated the Glenroy township.

A 1903 survey of a 31 acre block in North East Valley created residential sections in the new township of Glenroy. The entrepreneur behind the scheme was North East Valley resident and builder, William King. King, builder George France and valuer John Wright, purchased the land formerly occupied by Chinese gardeners and subdivided it into residential sections. King was no stranger to this sort of enterprise. As with earlier subdivisions, he sold some sections, built on others himself, and other residences were built by his sons.

On 9 July 1906 the Allotment 14, Blk IV was legally transferred to Thomas King (1881-1965), William’s son. That same day the land was transferred to Margaret Forsyth, wife of George Forsyth. The immediate transfer of possession from King to the Forsyths indicates Thomas had been the unofficial possessor of the land. It is likely he had built the house on the corner of Carr and France (later Paris) Streets and sold it to the Forsyths on completion. Certainly the Forsyths were living in Carr Street by October 1906 at the latest, indicating they did not have to wait for a house to be built.

The house itself was described as ‘a splendid modern dwelling’ of five rooms. Four rooms opened off a main hallway which led to a rear lean-to kitchen. The dining room was ‘large and massive’; the home had tile grates and hearths throughout; tin-pressed metal ceilings and dadoes; incandescent gas fittings; ‘superior mantelpieces’; a pantry; a bathroom with marble basin and hot and cold water; and a washhouse with tubs and boiler built in. The exterior was wooden, with delicate filigree decorating the bull-nosed return verandah which ran around the sides of the house facing Carr and France Streets. Two pairs of sash windows sat on either side of the front door facing Carr Street. The northern elevation was a brick fire-wall separating the house from its neighbour.

The Forsyths moved to Carr Street from Hooper’s Inlet, where they had owned a 51-acre dairy farm. Sadly, in April 1909 Margaret died at their home, aged 65. In July 1909 George put the house on the market. George and Louisa Drever purchased the house, only to sell to Sarah Watson in 1911. In 1913, John Budge purchased the home and immediately made alterations. At the rear was a kitchen lean-to and, of narrower depth, a lean-to with a bathroom and washhouse. Budge extended the kitchen lean-to forward by seven feet. A corrugated iron shed was also erected at the rear of the section. The shed was likely used as a fowlhouse as Budge ran a trade in ‘Leghorn Cockerels’ from the house. In September 1921 the home was advertised for sale. The description indicated little had changed on the property except for the addition of fowl houses and a nicely laid out garden. The whole property was ‘in perfect order inside and out’. After 1921, the home passed through various private hands and today it retains the charm of an early twentieth century middle-class square-front villa.