The Story of Mahara, A Stunning Roslyn Heritage Home, Inviting Offers
Mahara, located at 2 Fifield Street, Roslyn, Dunedin, is one of a pair of elegant timber mansions designed in 1905 by noted architect Edward Walter Walden (1870-1944) for the daughters of prominent businessman Andrew Lees (1833-1904). Built for Annie Millar Blakely (1865-1918), it stands next door to its sister house, Leebank, for Catherine Smith Melville (1869-1953). These twin residences on adjacent sections in the Littlebourne hill area stand as a testament to the wealth and sophistication of Dunedin's early 20th-century elite.
The Sister House: Leebank
Leebank, the matching mansion next door, was built simultaneously for Catherine and shares similar Queen Anne Revival architectural features. Both properties are recognised for their historical and aesthetic significance.
The Lees Family
Andrew Lees arrived in Dunedin in 1859 and built a highly successful firm specialising in paint, wallpaper, and glass. His wife was Annie Lees (née Campbell). Their daughters, Annie and Catherine, inherited adjacent sections upon his death in 1904, allowing the creation of these twin homes.
Here is the death notice for Andrew Lees from the Otago Daily Times, published on 29 August 1904 (as digitized on Papers Past, the National Library of New Zealand's historical newspaper archive.
Andrew Lees was a key figure in Dunedin's commercial growth, with his business premises prominently featured in historical records.
Catherine Smith Melville was noted for her public and patriotic work, including fundraising during World War I, for which she received the Médaille de la Reine Elisabeth from Belgium. No confirmed portraits of Annie Millar Blakely or a direct personal portrait of Andrew Lees were located in public sources, though historical images of his business reflect his legacy.
Constructed in the Queen Anne Revival style and distinguished by its pointed turret, Mahara was completed by October 1905. The name "Mahara," meaning "to remember" or "recall" in Māori, reflects its enduring legacy. Its grand interior features exquisite stained-glass artwork, including a magnificent window on the staircase landing, designed and crafted by Robert Fraser (1868-1947), one of New Zealand's pioneering artists in painted and fired stained glass.
Today, this five-plus bedroom heritage home blends historic elegance with modern comforts, including central diesel heating, a heat pump, underfloor bathroom heating, and an enchanting established garden on a 1,118 sqm section. Gracing the hillside with commanding views, Mahara remains a significant example of turn-of-the-century residential architecture.
For more details. view the full listing for 2 Fifield Street, Roslyn.
Click here: View 2 Fifield Street Roslyn