Why is this place significant?

ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION (STYLE): This is a large, two storeyed villa with wide verandahs on both floors. It is principally Italianate in style. An attractive octagonal belvedere, echoing the form of the two bay windows, sits atop the house. The large verandah features fine decorative valences and balustrades on both storeys. Most of the bay window arches which contain double hung sash windows spring from pilasters with Corinthian capitals. The hipped roof has slate tiles while corrugated iron covers the short snub-nosed verandah. The bays and belvedere are topped by decorative iron lightning conductors. The interior of the house has been much modified but the fine ceramic floor tiles in the vestibule, some doors and fireplaces and the wooden ceilings upstairs are original. MODIFICATIONS: 1952-53, Architect: R.A. Nicol (1) Ground floor verandah, Crummer Road side, filled in to become a staffroom; a window was removed and a door fitted. (2) Similarly, the upstairs verandah, Crummer Road side, was also filled in and became part of a dormitory. (3) Access stairs to the first floor were added on to the rear of the building. (4) Dr Drury's living room became a staff lounge with access cut through the wall by the fireplace to what had been Dr Drury's surgery, waiting room and office. This area became Staff bedrooms. (5) A wall was removed between bedrooms 3 and 4 to make one large dormitory. (6) The sunroom became a lavatory block and bedroom 5 became a bathroom. (7) A fire escape was added to the wall of bedroom 1 (now a dormitory). 1971: A bedroom was added to the rear of the house when it became a Baptist Hostel for Alcoholics. 1981, Architect: John E. Cooper & Associates The property was redeveloped as a restaurant with further modifications: (1) The filled in verandahs were reopened. (2) The walls were removed in the 'Surgery' so that staff bedrooms became a large open room.

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Received an award in the New Zealand Institute of Architect's 2013 Architecture Awards (Auckland branch) This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. Please note that entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero identifies only the heritage values of the property concerned, and should not be construed as advice on the state of the property, or as a comment of its soundness or safety, including in regard to earthquake risk, safety in the event of fire, or insanitary conditions.