Dunedin - University of Otago

The University of Otago, New Zealand's first university, was founded in 1869. The imposing neo-Gothic buildings (1878 onwards) on the little River Leith, north of the city center, were designed by Maxwell Bury, who took the University of Glasgow as his model. Particularly impressive features are the handsome clock tower, the main entrance and the staircase. The building in Castle Street is now occupied by the university administration. The first chancellor of the university was Thomas Burns, one of the founding fathers of Dunedin.

Around the old buildings are various later-built buildings occupied by university faculties, including the Dental School, the only one in New Zealand. Here too are the professors' houses (1879), also designed by Maxwell Bury, built of red brick with contrasting white gable arches.