Kotuku Model Bungalow facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kotuku Model Bungalow |
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Kotuku model bungalow exterior in 2012
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| General information | |
| Address | 1271 Blair Road |
| Town or city | Kotuku |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 42°32′46″S 171°28′13″E / 42.54623°S 171.4704°E |
| Construction started | 1938 |
| Completed | 1940 |
| Owner | Department of Conservation |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Timber |
| Floor count | one |
| Designated: | 14 July 1995 |
| Reference #: | 7232 |
The Kotuku Model Bungalow is a special historic building. It is located in a historic area in the Grey District on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island.
A Cool School Project
In the 1930s, schools in New Zealand started trying new ways of teaching. Teachers could now let students learn by doing things, not just by reading books.
At Jack's Mill School in Kotuku, the headmaster, Edward Darracott, had a great idea. He wanted his students, aged 10 to 12, to design and build a real model house! This was a very unique project, possibly the only one of its kind.
Designing the Bungalow
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A 12-year-old student named Rosemary O'Brien designed the bungalow. She was a pupil at Jack's Mill school. The house looks like a mix of an English cottage and a more modern style.
It has some features similar to the "State Houses" built in New Zealand at that time. For example, it had standard windows and doors, and an open layout inside. The students even designed a cool, modern carpet for the house!
Building the House
The students worked on building the bungalow between 1938 and 1940. It was built at 3/4 (three-quarter) scale, meaning it was smaller than a full-sized house.
The pupils found special smaller appliances for the house. This included a custom-made bathtub, a hot water tank, a stove, and a kitchen sink. The bungalow even had running water and electricity! It was used as the school's home economics classroom until the school closed in 1955.
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What Happened Next
Over the years, the ownership of the school and its grounds changed hands several times. In 2004, the Department of Conservation bought the school. They made it a Historic Reserve.
The bungalow had become quite old and needed repairs. Many volunteers helped to fix and restore it. What's really cool is that most of these volunteers were former students of the school!
Today, the Kotuku Model Bungalow is recognized as a very important historic building. It is listed as a Category I structure by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. Other buildings on the site have displays that tell the story of the school and the bungalow.
