KEY POINTS:
1 Aorere Street, Parnell.
Not often do older houses come to the market in much the same condition as when they were built, and homes that are nearly a century old tend to come in three states: fully modernised with not a lot of character left; messed about so that the charm of their original features is disguised under a mountain of tat; or sadly, in such a grievous state that bulldozing can seem the only option.
But the Donaldson residence on the corner of one of old Parnell's prettiest no-exit streets doesn't fit any of these scenarios. Beloved and protected by successive generations of the family who has owned it for 83 years, it remains in much the same structural condition as when it was built.
Originally built as a doctor's residence out of the finest heart kauri, and with every mod-con of the period, it very quickly became the home of Gladys and Richard Donaldson. Their grandson Greg Spode says that from then on the house behind the high hedges on the corner of Aorere Street was at the core of their family life.
"It has always been hugely important to all of us. We can remember every inch of it from our earliest childhoods, because it was not only our grandparents' home but also our mother, Yvonne's. We children grew up in St Heliers but were always involved in helping our mother maintain the garden and house in the later years of her life."
Greg can remember stripping off the wall paper in the square entrance hall when his mother was updating the decor in the 70s. "It had peacocks on it, and it was the original layer. It must have been there since the house was built."
Greg's sister Andrea remembers how this same hall had a collection of raincoats and her grandmothers' riding whip hanging from the hooks, and how the garden beds were filled with hollyhocks and roses. "There's a photo of me sitting on the lawn playing with the flowers. I must have been about 2 years old."
Although in later years the house has been gently modernised it is still basically as original as it was when it was built. "Mum did the minimum to make it pleasant, but she never wanted to change it more than was necessary. "
Non-structural alterations have included a new kitchen and bathroom less than 10 years ago, polishing the dark varnish off the wide-board kauri floors and painting the walls freshly neutral.
The sun-room still leads off the large second bedroom, although the washhouse that once stood next door to it has been absorbed into it, and the outside toilet moved into the bathroom. The main bedroom still retains its window seat and the sitting room across the hall is still the stand alone room it always was. One minor concession to modernity was removing the wall between the dining room and the kitchen to improve the flow at this corner of the house. "We used to sit here with our grandmother to listen to the radio," remembers Greg. "It always stood in the corner next the French doors."
It is this legacy of memories as much as the original architecture that makes this home unique. Andrea, Greg and their two brothers have finally acknowledged that the old house on the corner will become another family's home.
"It's such a special place we're hoping it will find someone who loves it like we all have."
