Constructed in the rural outskirts of Gisborne, the Postmaster and Store Keeper’s House (Former) is an ornate single storey timber residence which was privately built and occupied by Tamarau postmaster Frederick Single in 1915. In contrast with government built and run imperial baroque post offices and residences, the place incorporates a transitional villa with extensive decoration and has aesthetic and architectural significance as a well-preserved example of Queen Anne Revival and Eastlake influenced architecture. The place also has historical significance for its association with the development of the provision of postal services in the Gisborne region. The fertile lands around Tūranganui-a-kiwa, now known as Gisborne, have long associations with several iwi with ancestral links to the waka Te Ikaroa-a-Rauru, Horouta and Tākitimu. The Kaiti Block remained in undivided Māori ownership until 1887-8 when the block was partitioned, and titles were issued to specified Māori owners. The title for Kaiti 324 was issued to Mereana Paraone, Hemi Awahaku, Marara Te Haka or Whaipata, Mere Paraone or Rapatu, Kato Puha and Wi Paraone. After ownership changes and subdivision Frederick James Single, a Waiapu entrepreneur, purchased three lots forming a prominent corner section on the main road to the East Cape in 1907. He leased the property to a series of tenants who established a general store with a post office – known as Tamarau Post Office – on the site where local residents could shop and send and directly collect their mail. In late 1914, at a time when government improvements to post office facilities were put on hold due to the demands of the First World War (1914-1918), Single initiated plans for an elaborate new residence and purpose-built store and post office. Tamarau Post Office temporarily closed in early 1915 while construction was ongoing. The eye-catching residence was a transitional villa built during a period of ornate decoration fueled by the extreme felling of New Zealand forests and company catalogues from which ornamental detailing could be purchased. It was located centrally across two lots and, connected via a solarium, the store and post office building was prominently located at the northwest street corner. Fronting the street on two sides, the house included a projecting faceted gable bay at the south-west corner, a low tower with cupola roof at the north-east corner, with a wraparound verandah with bullnose roof along the west and north elevations in between. The tower was visually reminiscent of recent grander residences in central Gisborne. Constructed by James Goodson Smith, a Gisborne builder, the extensively ornamented design was heavily influenced by American style Queen Anne Revival primarily known for its homely aesthetic and use of architectural details from a wide range of English architectural traditions, and Eastlake style stickwork ornamentation. The intricate decoration incorporated a variety of turned and shaped timber decoration, Art Nouveau stained glass windows, and plastered ceilings. Further reflecting the affluence of the place, a motor shed with washhouse was also built, and a brick lined well was present on the southern boundary. Tamarau Post Office remained an important feature of the local community, being run from 1917 by John and Jane Rogers their daughter Lily Kent (nee Rogers), until 1949 when the post office was permanently closed due to the expansion of postal delivery services from Gisborne. The store had closed earlier in the decade and the corner building from which it functioned was demolished some years earlier. Kent lived at the place until 1986. Some minor alterations were made for an osteopath clinic in 1996 and in 2013 a kitchen extension was added to the southern side. Changes to the grounds include the addition a small number of outbuildings, and relocation of the motorshed within the property. In 2021 the place remains a private residence.