CITY PROPERTY

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 135, 4 December 1935, Page 13

CITY PROPERTY

IN UPPER WILLIS STREET

Like sand blown in from the sea, shops in Wellington, as elsewhere in New Zealand cities, steadily invade what were before exclusively residential localities. . Upper Willis Street, for instance—at any rate that section of the thoroughfare from Boulcott Street and Manners Street southwards —was formerly practically shop free It was, in fact; a well-favoured situation for the residences of leading business people. Today it is in part a kind of Harley Street, going by the great number of brass plates of medical specialists to be seen there. But there has been some migration of the medical fraternity even from .Willis Street to another quarter of the city Point was given today to these remarks on changing Wellington wh=n Messrs. S. George Nathan and Co submitted the freehold property known as No. 335 Willis Street, where th" late Dr. D. Lloyd Clay lived for many years.- This property has a frontage of ~9sft -to Willis Street and .is dS tmguished by its large trees which linger among the few remaining arboreal features in this locality The property goes back to Kensington Street by 165 ft and widens out To 108 ft. The section measures 1 rood 25.10 perches. It carries a large twostorey house with more than a Wen looms.

-Bidding began at £4000 and went up to. £4750, at which price the property was passed in.

Only four families have occupied the property since the house was built It was first owned by the late Mr. j' Dransfield, who: was -Mayor of Wellington and a very well-known citizen of his time. Afterwards Herr Fokke ■of the German mercantile firm of Castendyke and" Fokke, resided there and subsequently another merchant' Mr. A. E. Kernot, made it his home the late Dr. Clay succeeding him. Names of former residents of Upper Willis Street and thereabouts when it may be said to have been in its prime as a residential neighbourhood, were Messrs. Nicholas Reid, Edward Pearce William Allan, Andrew Young John BlundeU, Henry Blundell, H^ Nancarrow, T. Kennedy Macdonald, G T Tolhurst, and Morrah.

What will b.e the ultimate use to which the property will be put it is difficult to say, but the auctioneer expatiated on its suitability for flats and suggested that it would carry nine; blocks of such residences.