Few academics can boast they have an office with its own secret crawl space and a tiny door.
When Associate Prof Peter Adams recently shifted out of the University of Otago music department’s old home, a former professorial house near the Clocktower, that crawl space was among 31 years of memories to take with him.
Built in 1878, Sale Black House housed some of the young university’s first professors, including Profs George Sale and James Black.
Prof Adams will never forget some of the architectural quirks, including twisting staircases, of the house where he spent 31 years in Room 204, on the second floor.
That building comprises two mirror-image houses — Sale and Black — with separate external entries and few ways of crossing the triple-brick firewall between the houses.
One entry was the little-known crawl space — officially a fire exit — linking Prof Adams’ office with that of colleague Dr Ian Chapman.
Pranks could be played on the odd student when a music teacher suddenly appeared, seemingly from nowhere, in the other room.
A low, first-floor passageway with padded ceiling to safeguard heads, was another crossing point, where stooping was required.
People such as opera singer Jonathan Lemalu memorably "filled the space" at the cramped entry.
Prof Adams vividly remembers other talented young students, such as opera singer Anna Leese, Michael Grant, and conductors Holly Mathieson, Tecwyn Evans and Michael Joel.
"It’s just wonderful when you look and know they succeeded, they went from Otago and fulfilled that potential they had as an 18-year-old."
He is also excited about moving into music’s "beautiful new" home at the School of Performing Arts complex, in Union St.
"You’ve got to embrace change," he said.
