Situated on the northern corner of George and Albany Streets, St Duthus House was designed by James Hislop in 1903 as a residence for Dr Joseph Osborne Closs (1852-1912), one of the earliest graduates from the Otago Medical School. The building is of architectural and historical significance and forms a prominent position of a corner of George and Albany Streets along one of Dunedin’s main shopping area.

Both iwi history and archaeological evidence show Māori occupation in the Ōtākou / Otago region since the 12th century. Today, Kāi Tahu mana whenua is recognised over a large part of Te Wai Pounamu. Kāti Māmoe and Waitaha shared occupation are always acknowledged. The hapū Kai Te Pahi, Kāti Moki, and Kāti Taoka still maintain their presence and responsibility as kaitiaki in this region. While there were no permanent settlements around George Street, the area near the Toitū Tauraka waka (List No. 9774) was known as Ōtepoti.

Section 1, Block 29, Town of Dunedin was first owned by Alexander Rennie in 1858 and was unoccupied until possibly 1871 when a timber villa was built. Dr David Blair owned the property from 1878 - 1882 and developed a substantial family residence, stables, coach-house on the section. From March 1881, Dr De Zouche ran his doctor’s practice from this house, presumably as Blair had left Dunedin but had not yet sold the property. Blair sold the property to Mr A Dornwell, butcher, in July 1882 and there were various tenants in the residence until 1900.

In 1900-1901 Dr Closs purchased the property. The current building was built for Dr. Joseph Osborne Closs MD Ch M, one of the earliest graduates from the Otago Medical School, as a dwelling and as a doctor’s rooms. Born in Glasgow, he came to New Zealand at an early age. Closs lectured for many years on clinical surgery at the Dunedin Hospital and he occupied and practised in the house until his death in 1912.

The building contractor, Gabriel Hodges, was a former Mayor of South Dunedin Borough 1878-1879, and St Kilda Borough 1902-1903. The architect was James Hislop who advertised for a building to be removed from site in November 1902 before the tender was advertised for a two storey brick dwelling. The house is an imposing two storey brick house with a lower storey bay at the left front and a square bay at the side. The bays have gables above and the front ones have ornamental plaster work. There are balconies above the front bay and the portico, which is supported by engaged pillars with Corinthian capitals matching the windows. The chimney at the side has a false front and is flanked by rounded topped windows forming a square bay. The roof is slate.

After Dr Closs’s death Miss Rosa Collier, surgeon, was living at the house from 1913 until 1915 when she moved to Milton. A number of other people resided at the property until Mr James John Clark, former Mayor of Dunedin and Dunedin City councillor (1909-1933), lived at the address from 1928 to 1937. It was known as St Duthus from this time and while there is no documentary evidence on why the property was named St Duthus, Clark’s parents were married in Tain, Scotland in 1863 where St Duthus is the patron saint. The hospital opened in 1937 as St Duthus Private Hospital. Mrs Joy Clark (née Mowat), the head of the hospital, had been a nurse prior to her marriage to James. In 1939 Mrs Clark put the household goods up for auction as the property presumably sold. In 1940 the residence was altered into six flats for F.K.L Orton. It became known as St Duthus Flats or simply St Duthus, and in 1946 the ground floor was altered again and used as doctor’s surgeries. The upper floor remained as flats. In 1983 the consultation rooms were upgraded, and the interior altered for a group of consultants.