{{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2024}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}} {{Infobox building | name = Pah Homestead | native_name = | native_name_lang = | former_names = Monte Cecilia <br/>Monte Cecilia Convent<br/>Pah Farm<br/>The Pah | alternate_names = | image = Pah Homestead, Monte Cecilia Park, Hillsborough, Auckland 01.jpg | caption = Pah Homestead in 2011 | pushpin_map = | map_caption = | altitude = | building_type = Homestead | architectural_style = | structural_system = | cost = | ren_cost = | client = | owner = Auckland Council | current_tenants = | landlord = | location = Monte Cecilia Park | address = Hillsborough Road, Hillsborough | location_town = Auckland | location_country = New Zealand | iso_region = | coordinates = {{coord|-36.9145|174.7632|type:landmark_region:NZ|display=inline,title|format=dms}} | construction_start_date = | completion_date = 1880 | inauguration_date = | renovation_date = | demolished_date = | destruction_date = | height = | diameter = | antenna_spire = | roof = | top_floor = | other_dimensions = | floor_count = | floor_area = | seating_type = | seating_capacity = | elevator_count = | main_contractor = | architect = | architecture_firm = | structural_engineer = | services_engineer = | civil_engineer = | other_designers = | quantity_surveyor = | awards = | ren_architect = | ren_firm = | ren_str_engineer = | ren_serv_engineer = | ren_civ_engineer = | ren_oth_designers = | ren_qty_surveyor = | ren_awards = | embedded = {{designation list|embed=yes|designation1=NZ Category I|designation1_number=89|designation1_date =1 September 1983 }} | url = | references = {{NZHPT|89|The Pah}} }} The '''Pah Homestead''' is a historic building located in the suburb of Hillsborough in Auckland, New Zealand, within the bounds of Monte Cecilia Park. It is owned by the Auckland Council, and is currently used as an art gallery, housing the Arts House Trust (previously Wallace Arts Trust) collection of New Zealand art.
==History== The Homestead was built on a site which was originally a fortified Māori pā during the 17th and 18th centuries.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pishief |first=Elizabeth |last2=Shirley |first2=Brendan |date=August 2015 |title=Waikōwhai Coast Heritage Study |url=https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/about-auckland-council/how-auckland-council-works/local-boards/all-local-boards/puketapapa-local-board/docsheritagestudies/waikowhai-coast-heritage-study.pdf |publisher=Auckland Council}}</ref> The area was significant to Ngai Riukiuta, descendants of Tainui canoe. It is believed to have been occupied by Pōtatau Te Wherowhero between 1839 and 1844.<ref>{{Cite web |last=OurAuckland |title=5 Auckland heritage sites that history buffs will love |url=https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/news/2024/05/5-auckland-heritage-sites-that-history-buffs-will-love/ |access-date=2025-10-15 |website=OurAuckland |language=en}}</ref>
In 1844, the land was purchased by William Hart and used as a cattle and dairy farm, then in 1851 was sold to William Brown and John Logan Campbell.<ref>{{cite Q|Q116775081|page=31}}</ref>
In 1866 the farm was sold to Thomas Russell for £12,725. Russell was an active member of the Auckland Horticultural Society and added many interesting plants to the property including a Chilean wine palm (''Jubaea chilensis''), several bunya-bunya pines (''Araucaria bidwillii'') and a circular grove of holm oaks (''Quercus ilex''). In January 1872, Cyrus Haley, who had a grudge against Russell, attacked the home, firing shots into each of the bedrooms. No-one was hurt and Haley was later caught and convicted of attempted murder.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Russell, Thomas |encyclopedia=Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1r20/russell-thomas |access-date=9 September 2018 |last=Stone |first=R. C. J. |date=1990}}</ref>
In 1877, Auckland businessman James Williamson purchased the property for £10,000. Williamson retained the name "The Pah" and demolished the thirty-year-old house to make way for a palatial "gentleman's residence".<ref name="DNZB Williamson">{{DNZB|Stone|R. C. J.|1w27|Williamson, James - Biography|31 March 2012}}</ref> Built between 1877 and 1879, the Homestead was designed by Edward Mahoney, of E. Mahoney and Son, the house is an Italianate villa, constructed of brick rendered with cement to imitate stone.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Pah (Former) |url=https://www.heritage.org.nz/list-details/89/Listing |access-date=2025-10-15 |website=Welcome to Heritage New Zealand |language=en}}</ref> It was based on Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's Osborne House in the Isle of Wight and was the largest house in the Auckland province at the time and was widely noted as the finest.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Blaber |first=Donna |date=2016-12-19 |title=Pah Homestead |url=https://www.ranfurlyvillage.co.nz/news/pah-homestead-contemporary-art |access-date=2025-10-15 |website=www.ranfurlyvillage.co.nz |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=History of Pah Homestead |url=https://www.artshousetrust.co.nz/pah-homestead-history |access-date=2025-10-15 |website=The Arts House Trust |language=en-NZ}}</ref> left|thumb|245x245px|Women walking in the grounds of the Pah Mansion at a garden party to celebrate the new site of St John's College, 1902 The Pah featured verandahs, balconies and a central tower with a viewing room at the top to give a 360-degree view of the landscape.{{citation needed|date=October 2025}} The house has views to One Tree Hill to the north, Mount Smart to the east and the Manukau Harbour to the south.<ref>{{cite web |title=Site characteristics |url=http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/projects/montececilia/site.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120718084726/http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/projects/montececilia/site.asp |archive-date=18 July 2012 |accessdate=2009-01-24 |publisher=Auckland City Council}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> The viewing room was equipped with a telescope. The main rooms are distinguished by high quality plaster ceilings, Italian marble fireplaces, parquet floors with inlaid borders and finely chased metal fixtures to the doors.{{citation needed|date=October 2025}}thumb|left|Monte Cecilia Park looking to Pah Homestead, 2006.|246x246pxWilliamson had dreamed of creating a family dynasty with this estate as its symbol, however following the stock market crash in 1886 Williamson was forced to sell this property, which was subsequently divided up for development.{{citation needed|date=October 2025}} After Williamson's death in 1888, the lavish establishment was taken over by the Bank of New Zealand. {{citation needed|date=October 2025}}thumb|356x356px|An exterior view of Pah 'College', 1913 On February 11 1902, St John's Collegiate School was opened at the Homestead which served as a day and boarding school for boys.<ref>{{Cite web |last=New Zealand Graphic |date=22 February 1902 |title=The Garden Party at "The Pah" |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/new-zealand-graphic/1902/02/22/30 |access-date=2025-10-15 |website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Our History |url=https://montececilia.org.nz/history |access-date=2025-10-15 |website=montececilia.org.nz}}</ref>
In 1913 the Pah was purchased by the Sisters of Mercy and renamed Monte Cecilia then later taken over by the Catholic Diocese. During this time, it served multiple purposes, as an Orphanage, Novitate home and temporary residence for the unhoused and new migrants.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Truttman |first=Lisa |date=November 2013 |title=Puketapapa Mt Roskill Thematic Historic Overview |url=https://new.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/content/dam/ac/docs/about-council/local-boards/puketapapa/puketapapa-heritage-study.pdf |publisher=Auckland Council and the Puketapapa Local Board}}</ref>
==Restoration== On 1 September 1983, the building was registered by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category I heritage structure, with reference number 89.<ref name="NZHPT">{{NZHPT|89|The Pah}}</ref>
In September 2002, Pah Homestead was purchased by the Auckland City Council as part of council plans to develop the surrounding estate into a premier park for the city, Monte Cecilia Park. The council developed a heritage conservation plan, an archaeological and geophysical assessment and a cultural heritage overview for Whataroa Pā. A landscape history and tree assessment were produced to help better understand the Māori and European heritage of the site.{{citation needed|date=October 2025}}
The council upgraded the Pah Homestead roof as part of its commitment to protecting and preserving heritage buildings in Auckland city. The restoration involved weatherproofing, reinforcing the structure of the roof and some seismic upgrading. The council selected materials matching the original roof like English slate tiles and rolled lead.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/projects/montececilia/pah.asp|title=Pah Homestead|publisher=Auckland City Council|accessdate=2009-01-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015233921/http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/projects/montececilia/pah.asp|archive-date=15 October 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Auckland City worked with other groups and organisations like New Zealand Historic Places Trust and specialist heritage architects Matthews & Matthews Architects Ltd. to ensure the renovation is of a high standard. These works were undertaken by NZ Strong Construction, an Auckland construction company specialising in unique projects such as this.<ref name="NZ Strong">{{cite web |url=http://www.nzstrong.co.nz/projects/historic-iconic/pah-homestead/ |title=NZ Strong Project - Pah Homestead |publisher=NZ Strong Construction |accessdate=26 October 2014 |archive-date=26 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826101711/http://www.nzstrong.co.nz/projects/historic-iconic/pah-homestead/ |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Pah |url=https://www.mmarchitects.co.nz/the-pah |access-date=2025-10-15 |website=Matthews & Matthews Architects |language=en-US}}</ref>
thumb|One of the galleries in the Pah Homestead, 2013|349x349px
== The Arts House Trust == In August 2010, Pah Homestead opened as a gallery called the TSB Bank Wallace Arts Centre, housing the Wallace Arts Trust's collection of New Zealand art. In 2021, the James Wallace Arts Trust was reestablished as a new charitable entity and disassociated itself from James Wallace.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |last=Blackwell |first=Finn |date=June 30, 2023 |title=Artist wants her artwork out of Wallace collection after indecent assault revelations |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/492916/artist-wants-her-artwork-out-of-wallace-collection-after-indecent-assault-revelations |access-date=June 30, 2023 |website=RNZ}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Cheng |first=Derek |date=June 28, 2023 |title=Govt moves to strip Sir James Wallace of knighthood, artworks to remain on display |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/government-moves-to-strip-sir-james-wallace-of-knighthood/TEPRTILSA5CSTDF6BAXIQCL2OE/ |access-date=June 29, 2023 |website=The New Zealand Herald}}</ref>
The now named, The Arts House Trust, promotes contemporary New Zealand art and artists.<ref name=":1" /> The gallery hosts free programmes and exhibitions and houses a large collection of over 9,500 works.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pah Homestead |url=https://www.aucklandartgallery.com/page/pah-homestead |access-date=2025-10-15 |website=Auckland Art Gallery |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore the collection |url=https://collection.artshousetrust.co.nz/explore |access-date=2025-10-15 |website=The Arts House Trust |language=en}}</ref>
==Television and film== Over the years the house and its grounds have been used as the shooting locations in a number of television and film productions, such as:
*''The Quiet Earth'' (1985) {{citation needed|date=October 2025}} *''Gloss'' (1987) {{citation needed|date=October 2025}} *''Lucy'' (2003) {{citation needed|date=October 2025}} *''Ike: Countdown to D-Day'' (2004) {{citation needed|date=October 2025}} *''The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' (2005)<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=OurAuckland |title=Explore these epic filming locations in Auckland |url=https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/news/2024/11/explore-these-epic-filming-locations-in-auckland/ |access-date=2025-10-16 |website=OurAuckland |language=en}}</ref> *''The Luminaires'' (2020)<ref name=":2" />
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category-inline|Pah Homestead}} * [https://artshousetrust.co.nz/ The Arts House Trust, Pah Homestead] * [https://kura.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/digital/collection/photos/search/searchterm/Pah%20Farm!Pah%20Homestead/field/all!all/mode/exact!all/conn/or!and Photographs of Pah Homestead] held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections. {{MuseumAuckland}}
Category:Buildings and structures in Auckland Category:Homesteads in New Zealand Category:Tourist attractions in Auckland Category:Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic places in the Auckland Region Category:Art museums and galleries in Auckland Category:Arts centres in New Zealand Category:1880s architecture in New Zealand Category:Italianate architecture in New Zealand