On the 28 April 1925 the new site for St Cuthbert’s College at Market Road, Epsom was officially opened. The new college consisted of the Main Building, Elgin, Dunblane and Melrose Boarding Hostels, the Refectory or Dining Room along with several ancillary buildings that had been moved from the Stokes Road Mt Eden campus. All were officially opened on 28 April 1925 by Governor General, Sir Charles Fergusson, with the Mayor of Auckland, Sir James Gunson, also in attendance. There was an extensive asphalt play area, seven tennis courts, a hockey field, a basket-ball court and cricket grounds. The Main Building had 18 classrooms and was designed to accommodate 450 students with a science laboratory and a domestic science room with electric stoves. Pictured below is the opening day of the Epsom Campus on 28 April 1925.
The architect of the new buildings was Mr. L.V. Moses of Holman and Moses. By the end of 1923, the construction was underway by builders, Penman and Sons. Now known as the “Robertson Building” this was the main college building.
Special attention was paid to heating and ventilation in the building’s design, with the incorporation of large windows that lit and ventilated the classrooms. These were reported at the time as having “all the benefits of a so-called open-air classroom, without its disadvantages”. This new approach to school planning, with much larger windows for greater natural light and ventilation, was adopted by education authorities in New Zealand during the 1920s.
The building became known formally as the Robertson Building following its refurbishment in 1998 when the name was added to the portico. It is named after James Robertson, the College’s Trust Board Chair from 1915-1916 and again from 1924-1945, as well as being a Board Trustee from 1915-1947. The distinctive Portico also known as the colonnade was removed in 2016 as it was found to be earthquake prone.
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