Timber house on the east bank of the Waikato River. Built in 1912 with rimu framing, heart matai weatherboards, kauri fittings, Wunderlich brand pressed tin ceilings, and concrete foundations. The Edwardian Free Style design was by John Willing Warren (1859-1936), an Auckland architect who had an office in Hamilton from the late nineteenth century until circa 1920. It incorporates eclectic Arts and Crafts, classical, and Queen Anne or Stick Style features.
The property on which the house stands was bought in 1910 from Isaac Coates, a former Mayor of Hamilton, by Henry James Greenslade, who was over the years a journalist, dairy farmer, local body politician, and owner/manager of the Waikato Times newspaper. He demolished the previous house on the property - which also had been called Wairere - and commissioned the present house. He sold the property in 1929.
Extensive modifications were made to the house as it was adapted for use as a boarding establishment, and subdivided into flats, with extra kitchens and bathrooms added. From 1970 the house was restored to its original internal structure, with new kitchen and bathroom facilities fitted and central heating installed.
Now a Category 1 Historic Place, listed with the address 1 Wellington Street, Hamilton.
