The new Wellington District Plan has resulted in twelve new heritage listings in Mt Victoria, according to Mt Victoria Historical Society convenor Joanna Newman.

Heritage changes in the revised District Plan are now in force.

While the plan has resulted in a major loss of Character protection area in the suburb and the introduction of zoning for at least six-storey developments across a large area, there were some positive outcomes for heritage. 

The suburb does now have designated Heritage Areas with reasonably strong protection, in Hawker Street, Elizabeth Street, Porritt Avenue, Armour Avenue, and Moir Street (although in places these areas could be overshadowed by multi-storey buildings). 

Twelve houses have also been added to the Council’s list of heritage buildings. 

Selection of these appears somewhat random, and the list does not include all the houses originally proposed by WCC in the Draft District Plan.

You might be interested to learn about them so you can look out for them as you walk round the suburb. All but a couple are highly visible.

89 Austin Street – built in 1900 and designed by well-known Wellington architect, James O’Dea.

140 Austin Street – built in 1932, from 1960 to 2007 it was home to the Catholic Enquiry Centre.

23 Brougham Street (at the end of Pat Lawlor Close) – built in 1898 and designed by Guido Schwartz, a very well-known architect of the time

64 Brougham Street – built in 1877 for Samuel Carroll who was, amongst other things, Secretary of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce for many years

70 Brougham Street – built in 1901 for a civil servant who worked for the Lands and Survey Department

71 Brougham Street –built in 1910 for Eliza Redward who lived there for 38 years. It is another designed by Guido Schwartz.

87 Brougham Street – built in 1892 by Jessie Tutchen as an investment property.  The land was part of the early Tutchen dairy farm which covered several acres in this area.

91 Brougham Street – built in 1896/97 and designed by famous Wellington architect Thomas Turnbull.

111 Brougham Street – built in 1906 and notable for being by two important figures in the Arts & Crafts movement in NZ, architect Samuel Hurst Seager and builder James Chapman Taylor (who later also became an architect).

64 Majoribanks Street – built in 1928, and unusual for being brick, its first owner lived there for 44 years.

56 Pirie Street – originally a single storey house built in 1874, the second storey was added in 1887. For a time, it was the Russian Orthodox Church.

1 Queen Street – parts of this building date back to 1878.  It was originally a shop and bakehouse.

You can find more information about these houses by searching online for the Wellington City Council’s Mount Victoria Heritage Study, or through Mount Victoria Historical Society at https://mtvictoria.history.org.nz/