Project Brief
- Proposed residential development within the heritage extents of place.
- Heritage Impact Assessment for Fast-Track consent process.
Heritage Values & Background
- Date of Construction: Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Main Building (1909), Pearson House (1926), Foundation Workshop (1927).
- The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Main Building (also known as the Jubilee Building) was designed by noted architect Edward Bartley in the red-brick Gothic Revival style and opened in 1909 as the first purpose-built facility and residential school for the blind in New Zealand.
- The former Royal Foundation for the Blind Workshop is a rare example of a purpose‑built workshop for blind men and women, and was part of a larger complex run by the Jubilee Institute for the Blind. The brick neo-Georgian building is a skilled design applied to a utilitarian building by one of the country’s top architectural firms, Gummer and Ford.
- Pearson House, designed by Gummer and Ford, is a rare example of a purpose-built residence for blind men.
Heritage Recognition
- Auckland Council: Category A scheduled historic heritage place (Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind office and workshops (former, ID: 01794).
- Auckland Council: Category A scheduled historic heritage place (Pearson House, ID: 01892).
- HNZPT: Category 1 Historic Place (Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind, List No. 4579).
- HNZPT: Category 2 Historic Place (Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Workshop, List No. 4353).
- HNZPT: Category 1 Historic Place (Pearson House, List No. 4580).
