The house exists, in part, due to the generosity of whaler, farmer and merchant Johnny Jones.
In Northern Approaches, an East Otago history, it is stated a Beach St site was offered to the community by Mr Jones in 1857, and the school opened, in a house built of local timber on the site, in September 1860, with Francis Franks appointed teacher. He taught in the house for a few weeks, before a school classroom was constructed.
Nearly 148 years later the original school house, along with 0.8ha of land, will be auctioned on site tonight. The property is valued at $300,000.
Waikouaiti Museum curator Helen McComb said she was not against the sale but did not want to see the old house pulled down.
‘‘It is an important building for Waikouaiti. I just hope sanity prevails,'' she said.
She had written to the Dunedin City Council to have the house included in the district plan as a heritage building four years ago, but no progress had been made.
Waikouaiti resident Marie Pearman said she would hate to see the school house go, and it was a shame it did not have official protection.
The current Waikouaiti Primary School, in Malloch St, opened in 1870, and the Beach St classroom was moved to the new site in 1872.
Mrs McComb said the school house continued to house teachers until 1880 and was then rented to various people, before being sold to the current owner 60 years ago.
The school house was not registered by the Historic Places Trust but Otago-Southland area manager Owen Graham said the trust was keeping an eye on the auction.
Every public structure built before 1900 fell under the provisions of the Historic Places Act. If someone wanted to do something to a pre-1900 building they would require a consent, which would involve consultation with the trust.
He hoped anyone who bought the building would be aware of its significant heritage.
