The building was designed by architect William Gummer as his private residence.

Stoneways is a two-and-a-half storey building located opposite Auckland Grammar School, built with a concrete frame.

[1] The name of the house was chosen due to it being located atop solid stone lava flows from Maungawhau.

[1] The land on which Stoneways was built was originally a part of William Aitken's Rockwood estate.

New Zealand architect William Gummer, one of the founders of the architectural firm Gummer and Ford, purchased a section of the estate in 1924 after his marriage to Edith Oiroa Batley, in order to build a residence for his family.