John Mitchell and Robert Martin Watt were a pair of New Zealand architects who designed numerous buildings, primarily educational buildings, several of which have been heritage listed.
Mitchell and Watt entered into a partnership in 1892 as architects for the Auckland Education Board until at least 1905.
John Mitchell (1859–1947)[1] was born in Ramelton, Ireland, he trained as an architect in Ireland before heading to New Zealand in 1888.[2] [3] He was an early adopter of reinforced concrete and developed a baked earthenware block. In 1912 he went to England before returning to New Zealand a decade later.[2] Mitchell spent the later years of his life in Rotorua, where he would die in 1947.[4]
Robert Martin Watt (1860–1907) was born in Shotts, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Watt studied architecture in Glasgow under H & D Barclay before immigrating to New Zealand 1878.[1] Watt was a member of St Stephen's, Ponsonby, for which he designed an extension.
In 1906 Watt was elected as president of the Auckland branch of the New Zealand Institute of Architects[1] Watt lived in a home he named Glencairn in Bayfield, Ponsonby. He died in April, 1907. Before his death he was appointed to judge designs of the Auckland Town Hall.[5]
The two architects formed a partnership in 1892, previously they worked independently in Auckland.[3] Later that year they were appointed to the Auckland Education Board. Mitchell and Watt designed multiple school buildings in the Auckland Province area.[1] The pair also designed numerous residential, commercial, and religious buildings.[3] Their partnership ended either 1905 or 1907.[5]
Mitchell was responsible for new works whilst Watt was responsible for existing works and extensions. The pair designed numerous school buildings across the Auckland Province area
In December, 1902, the pair received notice from the Board of Education that their employment was to be terminated in three months. The pair were given a hearing to justify the dismissal, where the board charged them with incurring excessive costs and delays, but public support for the architects resulted in the board members being voted out at the election with those who supported Mitchell and Watt being elected with a strong majority. The Auckland Star described the charges as 'utterly insignificant'.[6] [7]
The pair were likely inspired by Edward Robert Robson in their design of school buildings. Robson favoured the Queen Anne style as he believed Gothic architecture's association with religion was inappropriate for secular educational buildings. Education in New Zealand was secular and many of Mitchell and Watt's designs are influenced by the Queen Anne style, notable examples include Bayfield School and Onehunga Primary School.
Schools designed by Mitchell and Watt are 'held to represent an important phase in the architectural development of school buildings in New Zealand'.[8]
Mitchell and Watt had innovative design techniques relating to ventilation, lighting, and heating. Examples include ventilation holes in the eaves, a patented stove, and large windows.[8]
| Name | Date | Image | Note | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winstone Stables | 1883 | Only designed by Watt. Registered as a Category 1 building with Heritage New Zealand | [9] | |
| Newton Council Chambers and Fire Station | 1887–1889 | Only designed by Mitchell. Registered as a Category 2 building with Heritage New Zealand | ||
| Kuaotunu School House | 1892 | Registered as a Category 2 building with Heritage New Zealand | ||
| Hukanui School | 1893 | Designed by either Mitchell alone or both Mitchell and Watt Registered as a Category 2 building with Heritage New Zealand | ||
| Greenhithe school building | 1893 | Registered as a Category B building with Auckland Council | ||
| Te Awamutu School | 1894 | Designed an extension for the school. Registered as a Category 2 building with Heritage New Zealand | ||
| Winstone shops on Symonds Street | 1895 | [10] | ||
| Bayfield School | 1896 and 1904 | Registered as a Category I building with Heritage New Zealand | ||
| St James Church, Pukekohe | 1898 | Possibly designed by Watt alone but may also have been work of both men. Building was relocated, current status is unknown presumed demolished | ||
| Church of Christ, Newton | 1898 | Demolished for the Auckland motorway | [11] [12] | |
| Epsom property | 1898 | [13] | ||
| St Paul's Church, Buckland | 1898–1900 | Registered as a Category B building with Auckland Council | ||
| St Peter's Presbyterian Church, Grey Lynn | 1899 | Only extensions and redesign of existing Church. Demolished 1950 | [14] | |
| Methodist Church in Te Aroha | 1900 | Later became a Baptist Church and later became a private residence. | [15] [16] | |
| Mt Eden Congregational Church | 1900 | Registered as a Category B building with Auckland Council | ||
| Cambridge Primary School | 1900 | Designed an extension block | ||
| Riverhead school | 1900 | [17] | ||
| Onehunga Primary School | 1901 | Registered as a Category 1 building with Heritage New Zealand | ||
| Richmond Road Manual Training School | 1903 | Scheduled as a Category B building with Auckland Council | ||
| Newton East Manual Training School | 1903 | Demolished in 1959. Designed identically to Newmarket and Richmond Road Manual Training Schools | [18] | |
| Newmarket Manual Training School | 1903 | Registered as a Category B building with Auckland Council | [19] | |
| Australis House/Entrican Building | 1903–1904 | Registered as a Category I building with Heritage New Zealand | ||
| St Andrew's, Howick | 1903–1904 | Registered as a Category 2 building with Heritage New Zealand | [20] | |
| Taniwha School | 1904–1905 | Registered as a Category 2 building with Heritage New Zealand | [21] | |
| Dargaville school | 1905 | Designed an addition for the school | ||
| Te Mata school | 1905 | Registered as a Category B building with Waikato District Council | ||
| Maungatautari school | 1905 | Registered as a Category B building with the Waipa District Council. Closed in 2011 | [22] [23] | |
| 1905–1906 | Only Watt was involved with the Leys Institute. Registered as a Category I building with Heritage New Zealand | |||
| St Stephen's, Ponsonby | 1906–1907 | Only Watt was involved. This was just an extension to an existing Church building. Registered as a Category 2 building with Heritage New Zealand. | [24] | |
| Karangahake School | 1907 | Addition designed by Mitchell. Registered as a Category I building with Heritage New Zealand | [25] | |
| Seddon Memorial Technical College | 1909 | Only designed by Mitchell. Registered as a Category 2 building with Heritage New Zealand | ||
| Papakura School | 1913 | An extension which is now the main building was built in 1913 to a design from Mitchell and Watt. Registered as a category B building with Auckland Council | [26] | |
| Helensville Manual Training School | 1912 | Likely the work of Mitchell and Watt but not confirmed | ||
| Cambridge Manual Training School | 1903 | Likely the work of Mitchell and Watt but not confirmed. Demolished. | ||
| Ponsonby Fire Station | 1902 | Attributed to Watt by John Stacpoole but other authors attribute it to someone else. Registered as a Category B building with Auckland Council | [27] | |