Stanbeth House

Built in 1885 for Coupland & Co, produce merchants and designed by John Blaikie.  One of four large warehouses situated in the block between Commerce Street and Gore Street.

The Coupland family established a grain and produce business in 1862, and after successfully running the business for 10 years James Coupland retired to Ponsonby.  The leases were transferred to Herman Brown and John McKail Geddes.  The building was occupied by a variety of tenants including Edward Morton, kauri gum merchant.  Mr Morton patented an “automatic fire escape and lowering machine” in which various people descended from the fourth story in a rather flimsy looking cage.  

H.C furness & Co warehouse, leased the building until the 1970’s.

It seems likely that the name Stanbeth House came from the middle names of the new leaseholders William Stanley McConnell and Nancy Elizabeth McConnell.