Kebbell Residence, 59 Vivian Street (1910)

This distinctive single-story home was constructed for G. M. Kebbell in 1910. Plans for a "bungalow" on Town Section 728 were deposited with the Borough Council in July 1910, with an estimated cost of £668; C. F. B. Livesay was listed as the architect.

George Mayo Kebbell was a New Plymouth accountant who married Ivy Gertrude Cottier (daughter of well-known hotel proprietors William and Mary Jane Cottier) in 1903 at St Mary's Church. The couple had one son, George Mayo Kebbell, born on 15 August 1905. 

George (snr) worked for Newton King Ltd for over 22 years; leaving in 1922 to take up farming on Frankley Road. Soon after moving the house was sold to lawyer James Henry Quilliam, of Govett & Quilliam; a local firm which is still in existence today.

C. F. B. Livesay was a Wellington based architect, and called for tenders "for the erection of a house in Vivian Street" in January 1910 - several months before plans were lodged with the council.

This home is probably best described as belonging to the transitional style between villa and bungalow, although is almost certainly more 'bungalow' than 'villa'; most homes belonging to the transitional period (especially those in the early 1910s) were more overtly 'villa' in appearance.

59 Vivian Street is significant as possibly the first home in this style constructed in New Plymouth and would have been very different to most other homes constructed at this time - with the traditional villa still the predominant house style in New Plymouth at this time. It is a very early example of a home in this style, with not only the exterior appearance, but also the internal layout, reflecting that of homes not common until the late-1910s to 1920s period. 

The building is clad in plain weatherboard, with wooden divided lower and upper windows. 

Who was C. F. B Livesay?

Little is known about Livesay, although he practised architecture in Wellington from the mid 1900s, designing many structures across the city - from boathouses in Seatoun, to homes in Karori. He appears to have moved to Nelson in 1914, and then his name doesn't surface until 1918, when he was accused of burning down his own home at Moutere with all his contents inside "as a method of wiping out the past" - it is unclear why he did this, but he may have lost a number of family members during the war. The article mentioned Livesay was arrested and was to be medically examined. Later in 1919, a typewriter was put up for auction in the estate of C. F. B. Livesay; although it is unclear if he died or was committed to an institution. Regardless, Livesay disappears from the record after 1919 - an unfortunate end for such a talented architect. 

Related item:

Draft Heritage Assessment, Kebbell Quilliam Residence (Former), 59 Vivian Street (Hamish Crimp, 2021).

Town Section 728, Taranaki Land Deed Index I3 Page 537 and I13 Page 93.