Edward and Thomas Mahoney
Encyclopedia
Edward Mahoney and his son and architectural partner, Thomas Mahoney (1855–1923), were prominent New Zealand
architect
s based in Auckland
. They were able exponent of Gothic Revival
and other styles, especially built in wood, but also in masonry and concrete. They designed numerous public (especially churches) and private buildings, many of which are still standing. They made a considerable contribution to Auckland's architectural heritage.
, County Cork
, Ireland
, probably in 1824 or 1825; his parents' names are unknown. As a young man he was apprenticed to his uncle, John Mahony, an architect and builder in Cork
, a city which had attracted a number of prominent Gothic Revivalist architects
. He married Margaret Barry, probably in 1848 or 1849. In 1854, apparently disillusioned by the lack of opportunities for Catholic architects in Ireland and by the hardship caused by famine and plague, Edward Mahony, his wife and the first two of their 11 children sailed on the Telegraph for Adelaide, South Australia
, arriving in January 1855. At the end of the year, the family continued on to New Zealand, arriving in Auckland in February 1856. A son, Thomas Mahoney, was born at sea on 12 December during one of these voyages, probably the first. Edward, having changed the spelling of his name to 'Mahoney' to avoid confusion with an Auckland solicitor named Edmund Mahony, set up in business as a builder and timber merchant.
, using a pared-back Gothic style. This, and St Mary's Convent Chapel, Ponsonby
(1866), are notable for the plainness of their well-lit interiors and the use of cross-braced roof trusses. Attracted by the discovery of gold on the Coromandel Peninsula
, Mahoney spent the years from 1867 to 1870 in Thames
before returning to Auckland, where in 1870 he set up an architectural practice. He designed St George's Anglican Church, Thames (1871); St Columba's Presbyterian Church, Warkworth
(1876); Holy Trinity Church, Dargaville
(1878); and St Andrew's Church, Cambridge
(1881). In 1876 young Thomas Mahoney joined the practice, which became known as E. Mahoney and Son. They produced many of Auckland's banks and hotels during the boom of the 1870s and early 1880s, as well as most of its Catholic schools and churches. Edward Mahoney prospered and was able to build a large house in Harbour Street, St Marys Bay
, staffed with servants and boasting a carriage, coachman and horses.
is unique in New Zealand. Edward Mahoney took an active part in Auckland's professional and civic affairs. He was a member of the Provincial Board of Education and in 1878 designed the first permanent Auckland College and Grammar School
building in Symonds Street. He was a foundation member of the Auckland Institute of Architects formed on 23 December 1880, and became its first honorary treasurer in 1881. In 1885 Edward Mahoney retired; Thomas and a younger brother, Robert, carried on the practice. In 1887 Thomas designed the brick St Benedict's Church, Newton; it replaced Edward's wooden original, which had been destroyed by fire in 1886. St Mary's Church of the Assumption, Onehunga, designed in 1877, was built in 1888. For some 20 years from 1905 its parish priest was Monsignor William Mahoney, another of Edward Mahoney's sons and the first New Zealand-born Catholic priest.
(1912). He returned to a Gothic design in 1919 for All Souls Church, Devonport
. This was built over his father's existing 1865 mortuary chapel, the Church of St Francis de Sales, which in 1892 had been punted across the Waitemata Harbour
en route from its original Symonds Street site to the Catholic cemetery on the slopes of Mount Victoria
. Secular buildings also formed part of Thomas Mahoney's work, beginning with James Williamson's enormous Italianate house, The Pah, at Hillsborough
(1877). He was also responsible for the Customhouse, Auckland, built to a French Renaissance design between 1888 and 1890; the Dilworth Terrace flats of 1900; buildings for the Bank of New Zealand throughout the Auckland provincial area; and for notable warehouses in Auckland. In 1910 he designed an impressive college in Gothic style for the Society of the Sacred Heart
, Remuera
(Baradene College of the Sacred Heart
). Like his father, Thomas Mahoney was involved in professional affairs. In 1907 he became president of the Auckland Institute of Architects, and in 1913–14 was president of the New Zealand Institute of Architects
.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
s based in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
. They were able exponent of Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
and other styles, especially built in wood, but also in masonry and concrete. They designed numerous public (especially churches) and private buildings, many of which are still standing. They made a considerable contribution to Auckland's architectural heritage.
Early lives
Edward was born Edward "Mahony" at BallincolligBallincollig
Ballincollig is a satellite town in County Cork, Ireland, approximately 9 km west of Cork city. It is located beside the River Lee on the R608 regional road. In 2006 the population of Ballincollig DED was 16,308. The nearest towns include: Ballinora, Ovens, Killumney, Inniscarra, Blarney ,...
, County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, probably in 1824 or 1825; his parents' names are unknown. As a young man he was apprenticed to his uncle, John Mahony, an architect and builder in Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
, a city which had attracted a number of prominent Gothic Revivalist architects
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
. He married Margaret Barry, probably in 1848 or 1849. In 1854, apparently disillusioned by the lack of opportunities for Catholic architects in Ireland and by the hardship caused by famine and plague, Edward Mahony, his wife and the first two of their 11 children sailed on the Telegraph for Adelaide, South Australia
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, arriving in January 1855. At the end of the year, the family continued on to New Zealand, arriving in Auckland in February 1856. A son, Thomas Mahoney, was born at sea on 12 December during one of these voyages, probably the first. Edward, having changed the spelling of his name to 'Mahoney' to avoid confusion with an Auckland solicitor named Edmund Mahony, set up in business as a builder and timber merchant.
Architects
Edward Mahoney was again engaged in architecture by 1861, when he designed the Church of St John the Baptist, ParnellParnell, New Zealand
Parnell is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is often billed as Auckland's "oldest suburb" since it dates from the earliest days of the European settlement of Auckland in 1841...
, using a pared-back Gothic style. This, and St Mary's Convent Chapel, Ponsonby
Ponsonby, New Zealand
Ponsonby is an inner-city suburb of Auckland City located 2 km west of the Auckland CBD, in the North Island of New Zealand. The suburb is oriented along a ridge running north-south, which is followed by the main street of the suburb, Ponsonby Road....
(1866), are notable for the plainness of their well-lit interiors and the use of cross-braced roof trusses. Attracted by the discovery of gold on the Coromandel Peninsula
Coromandel Peninsula
The Coromandel Peninsula lies in the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Waikato Region and Thames-Coromandel District and extends 85 kilometres north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier to protect the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the west...
, Mahoney spent the years from 1867 to 1870 in Thames
Thames, New Zealand
Thames is a town at the southwestern end of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand's North Island. It is located on the Firth of Thames close to the mouth of the Waihou River. The town is the seat of the Thames-Coromandel District Council....
before returning to Auckland, where in 1870 he set up an architectural practice. He designed St George's Anglican Church, Thames (1871); St Columba's Presbyterian Church, Warkworth
Warkworth, New Zealand
Warkworth is a town in the upper North Island of New Zealand, within the Rodney District and lying at the far north of the Auckland Region but just south of the Northland Region...
(1876); Holy Trinity Church, Dargaville
Dargaville
Dargaville is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the bank of the Northern Wairoa River in the Northland region. The town is located 55 kilometres southwest of Whangarei....
(1878); and St Andrew's Church, Cambridge
Cambridge, New Zealand
Cambridge is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. Situated 24 kilometres southeast of Hamilton, on the banks of the Waikato River, Cambridge is known as "The Town of Trees & Champions".In the 1840s Cambridge had a Maori population but in the 1850's missionaries and...
(1881). In 1876 young Thomas Mahoney joined the practice, which became known as E. Mahoney and Son. They produced many of Auckland's banks and hotels during the boom of the 1870s and early 1880s, as well as most of its Catholic schools and churches. Edward Mahoney prospered and was able to build a large house in Harbour Street, St Marys Bay
Saint Marys Bay, New Zealand
Saint Marys Bay is an Auckland suburb- 1800s :mid-1840s George Scott farms the land where 3 Lamps is now.1853 For £1100 Catholic Bishop Pompallier purchases 19ha in the area between 3 lamps and the shoreline from James O’Neill christening it Mount St. Mary.1854 O’Neill’s house becomes St. Anne’s...
, staffed with servants and boasting a carriage, coachman and horses.
Partnership works
Edward Mahoney's finest work is the large Anglican Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Khyber Pass Road (1879–81), built to accommodate a growing congregation in Auckland's new suburbs. Praised for its 'severe simplicity', its interior is notable for height, lightness and the warmth of its stained kauri timbers. It represented a departure in New Zealand ecclesiastical architecture, and its seven-sided apseApse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
is unique in New Zealand. Edward Mahoney took an active part in Auckland's professional and civic affairs. He was a member of the Provincial Board of Education and in 1878 designed the first permanent Auckland College and Grammar School
Auckland Grammar School
Auckland Grammar School is a state secondary school for years 9 to 13 boys in Auckland, New Zealand. It had a roll of 2,483 in 2008, including a number of boarders who live in nearby Tibbs' House, making it one of the largest schools in New Zealand...
building in Symonds Street. He was a foundation member of the Auckland Institute of Architects formed on 23 December 1880, and became its first honorary treasurer in 1881. In 1885 Edward Mahoney retired; Thomas and a younger brother, Robert, carried on the practice. In 1887 Thomas designed the brick St Benedict's Church, Newton; it replaced Edward's wooden original, which had been destroyed by fire in 1886. St Mary's Church of the Assumption, Onehunga, designed in 1877, was built in 1888. For some 20 years from 1905 its parish priest was Monsignor William Mahoney, another of Edward Mahoney's sons and the first New Zealand-born Catholic priest.
St Patrick's Cathedral
In 1880 Edward Mahoney had drawn up plans to extend the stone building which was the original St Patrick's Cathedral, Auckland. Between 1884 and 1885 the nave was extended according to Edward's scheme, but Thomas was ultimately responsible for its further extension, the sanctuary, four sacristies and two side chapels, which by 1907 had transformed a modest structure into a large and impressive building befitting its status as a cathedral.Thomas Mahoney
Thomas Mahoney's most unusual church, and the practice's only one built in a neo-classical rather than a Gothic style, was the since-demolished Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, HamiltonHamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
(1912). He returned to a Gothic design in 1919 for All Souls Church, Devonport
Devonport, New Zealand
Devonport is a harbourside suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is located on the North Shore, at the southern end of a peninsula that runs southeast from near Lake Pupuke in Takapuna, forming the northern side of the Waitemata Harbour...
. This was built over his father's existing 1865 mortuary chapel, the Church of St Francis de Sales, which in 1892 had been punted across the Waitemata Harbour
Waitemata Harbour
The quite famous Waitemata Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. For this reason it is often referred to as Auckland Harbour, despite the fact that it is only one of two harbours surrounding the city, and is crossed by the Auckland Harbour Bridge. The Waitemata forms the north...
en route from its original Symonds Street site to the Catholic cemetery on the slopes of Mount Victoria
Mount Victoria, Auckland
Mount Victoria is the highest volcano on Auckland's North Shore, rising to 87 m. Its age is currently unknown. Its lava flows now line much of Devonport's waterfront...
. Secular buildings also formed part of Thomas Mahoney's work, beginning with James Williamson's enormous Italianate house, The Pah, at Hillsborough
Hillsborough, Auckland
Hillsborough is an Auckland, New Zealand suburb.Hillsborough is under the local governance of the Auckland City Council. According to the 2001 census, Hillsborough has a population of 9912....
(1877). He was also responsible for the Customhouse, Auckland, built to a French Renaissance design between 1888 and 1890; the Dilworth Terrace flats of 1900; buildings for the Bank of New Zealand throughout the Auckland provincial area; and for notable warehouses in Auckland. In 1910 he designed an impressive college in Gothic style for the Society of the Sacred Heart
Society of the Sacred Heart
The Society of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic religious congregation established in France by St. Madeleine Sophie Barat in 1800. It has presence in 45 countries. Membership to the Society is restricted to women only. Its members do many works, but focus on education, particularly girls'...
, Remuera
Remuera
Remuera is a residential suburban area within Auckland city, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located four kilometres to the southeast of the city centre...
(Baradene College of the Sacred Heart
Baradene College of the Sacred Heart
Baradene College of the Sacred Heart is a Catholic high school for girls aged between 11 to 18 located in Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand.Established 1909, Baradene celebrated its 100th year in 2009....
). Like his father, Thomas Mahoney was involved in professional affairs. In 1907 he became president of the Auckland Institute of Architects, and in 1913–14 was president of the New Zealand Institute of Architects
New Zealand Institute of Architects
The New Zealand Institute of Architects is a membership based professional organisation. This body represents 90% of all registered architects in New Zealand and promotes architecture that enhances the New Zealand living environment....
.