SCHOOL ZONES:
Ponsonby primary and intermediate, Western Springs College, Auckland Girls’ Grammar.
CONTACT:
Martin Dobson, Kellands, ph 021 376 952.
Like many parts of the Ponsonby and inner-city bays, it was not that long ago that St Marys Bay was a run-down neighbourhood, beloved for its character and bargain prices by new immigrants, artists and students. The grand turreted mansion halfway down St Marys Bay Rd was a classic example: known locally as The Lookout, it had plunged from being the one-time grand home of Auckland's Mayor James Parr in the 1890s to a student flat famous for parties of the, ahem, less classy kind.
"I've had so many people working on the house who remember coming here for parties," laughs owner/developer Andrew Kolovos. For many decades after Parr, the house was owned by the Collins family, who owned the Letholite luggage firm. By the time Kolovos bought the house last year, it still had remnants of 1980s renovations, as well as earlier charming Queen Anne and Arts and Crafts alterations from the turn of the 20th century.
Andrew has renovated "quite a few" houses in the eastern suburbs, but was attracted to character houses on this side of town after an earlier project in Freemans Bay nearby.
"It had no garage, no storage, steep stairs, a sloping site, only a small veranda," he says. "But it also had magnificent views of the harbour that couldn't be built out. It was a major renovation, but this house was so soundly built, it was solid and had lots of beautiful details. The stairs, the windows were all sound, the fireplaces. I wanted to retain the integrity of the building, but not in a museum way. It needed to be modern, but still be old-style."
Andrew assembled a team that shared his vision and wanted to do meticulous work: architect Greg Jones and construction company Devo are well known for their heritage work in the area. As it had such an important position, the team was keen to work with the heritage team at Auckland Council to ensure the building and its outstanding site were respected. Andrew even credits a very co-operative neighbour with helping to ensure the integrity of the building was matched with modern use of the spaces.
The first task was to dig out and level the backyard, shoring up space under the house for a more-than-double garage tucked to one side so as not to spoil the original facade. There's room on this lower ground level for a huge utility room, service court and heaps of storage. The process required jacking up and reinforcing the supports of one of the two remaining original fireplaces, and making space for heating and security services.
The corner yard was perfect for a heated swimming pool, sheltered eventually by a hedge.
It is hard to tell what is old and what is new in the original entry porch and vestibule. Andrew spent a lot of time with Spazio Casa sourcing perfect tiles, door furniture and lighting from Italy. They particularly got the balance right for the fittings for the three bathrooms and guest loo -- terrific modern takes on Arts and Crafts vanities, basins and toilets, with sleek black wall tiles. Naturally, he managed to tuck in modern storage, underfloor heating and luxury trimmings as well.
The centrepiece of the house is the glorious staircase -- a sweep of original balustrade, carefully stained and polished, that rises through the house. The lobby opens on one side to the majestic kitchen, living and dining room, on the other to a cosier second living room, perfect for a media room or library. It is hard to tell where Devo added new mouldings and ceiling roses, but the living room has the charm of that fireplace and an octagonal bay window to take in those stunning harbour views.
The super-modern kitchen is a great foil to the old, with sleek white Blanco fittings and a modern Italian stove that nods to the old coal ranges (but with way more bells and whistles). Off this room is a generous covered loggia, which creates an entire third living room in summer, with stairs down to the pool and garden. Also on the ground floor is the guest loo and, tucked away privately, a guest suite still with one of the old stained glass windows.
Image 1 of 5: 58 St Marys Rd, St Marys Bay.Photo/Ted Baghurst.
The second floor has the three remaining bedrooms and family bathroom. One of the rooms has another of those turret-shaped bay windows. All have generous storage.
Andrew and Greg juggled walls to make the huge master suite -- pushing out an old veranda to add a proper sitting terrace and creating a luxurious en suite, complete with his and hers vanities. This is the perfect spot to drink in the views.
"This was a 10-month build," says Andrew. "But it was an excellent team. Everyone really wanted to get this right."
Which makes it once again grand to do justice to its stunning St Marys Bay location.
