Dr William Purdie, an Edinburgh graduate and an early and distinguished medical practitioner in Dunedin, was a founding father.

[3][2] In 2016 it was closed and purchased by a local couple for the purpose of housing the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, and was officially reopened and renamed "Hanover Hall" in November 2018 by the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern.

[4] The structure is a fine design and was provided with good stained glass windows, some of which were removed when it was converted from a church to a bar.

One of the most interesting features is a pipe organ[citation needed], which is believed to be only the second of its kind in New Zealand.

The building has been classified a Category I historic place by Heritage New Zealand, with registration number 4792.