Historic Significance

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: 'Wairere' or Greenslade's house is historically significant for its association with Henry James Greenslade. Born in 1867 in Thames, Greenslade, a journalist, became Mayor of Thames in 1899, before standing unsuccessfully for the Parliamentary seat of Hauraki. In 1900 he bought land at Ohaupo and began dairy-farming, building a large dwelling, 'Glengarriff', on the property. In 1902 he unsuccessfully contested the Parliamentary seat of Waikato, but he was successful in that seat at the 1905 election. In 1910 he bought the property on which 'Wairere' stands from Isaac Coates, a former Mayor of Hamilton whose own house on the section 'Wairere', was deteriorating rapidly. Greenslade demolished Coates' house, and built a new structure. Greenslade was defeated in the 1911 Parliamentary election. He then bought the Waikato Times and began to manage the newspaper's production and distribution. Greenslade was actively connected with most of the public bodies in Thames - Thames High School Board of Governors, Harbour Board, public library, cemetery and hospital, and jockey club. His involvement in community affairs in Hamilton was less intense. His wealth derived from investments in the gold mining industry, and with the 1929 stock market crash his fortune evaporated, and his house in Hamilton was sold.

Physical Significance

ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: The house incorporates typical Arts and Crafts traditional elements. The design is developed freely with irregular floor plans and projected 'feature rooms' arranged at either side of a main symmetrical facade. The handling of architectural forms is bold which shows the designer to have been abreast of contemporary developments in architecture in Britain which were moving towards a simpler, more modern architectural statement. In keeping with these forms architectural ornament is kept to a minimum and made to perform a functional role in many cases. Thus the leadlight panels shade the porch from the sun, and the paired cul-de-lampe columns perform a supportive function for the verandah. Warren has expressed the change in weight born by these columns with a change in form - the solid cubic forms with their simple capitals which are featured on the lower storey are continuous with the splayed inverted conical supports on the upper storey. This is consistent with a classical architectural treatment of the facade where a more decorative column is always placed on the upper level in a position expressive of the lighter load borne. The dormer windows on the upper storey have plain heads with slightly splayed gable ends, but no carving. The only ornamental carved features are the brackets below the eaves on the bay window upper storey, and these are very simple motifs. Dentils are apparent under the eaves of the upper storey and throughout there seems a predominance of vertical elements so that the house can be said to have been designed in a free and eclectic manner, with both classical and Queen Anne or Stick Style features with features such as scroll-shaped ante fixae incorporated at the end of the gable crests. TOWNSCAPE/LANDMARK SIGNIFICANCE: The house occupies a prominent position on the east bank of the Waikato River.