SCHOOL ZONES:
Bayfield Primary, Ponsonby Intermediate, Auckland Girls’ Grammar, Western Springs College.
CONTACT:
Karen Spires, Bayleys, 027 273 8220.
*Plus one off-street car park
As timber merchants, the Goldie family had access to some of the finest kauri being milled around Auckland in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
And some of that timber from the three mills they owned ended up in this two-storey, grand villa they built in Wallace St sometime between 1905 and 1910.
David Goldie -- later Mayor of Auckland -- came to Auckland in 1863 from Hobart and started up his timber merchant business in 1867. He had three sons, one of which was renowned portrait artist C.F. Goldie.
David Goldie's oldest son, Arthur, eventually managed the timber mills and in 1904 his name appears on the title of 58 Wallace St.
Despite doing some research, current owners Tim and Charlotte Vickers have been unable to establish exactly when their house at 54 Wallace St was built and who it was built for, because any records that did exist have disappeared.
Tim says: "There is conjecture that Arthur built it for his grandmother but we just can't be sure about that but we're pretty sure that Arthur's wife Mamie lived here until 1952 when she sold it to Sir Alex McKenzie, who was president of the National Party at the time."
The house stayed in the McKenzie family until 2004, when it was bought by father and son developers Layne and Greer Stephens, who engaged Jones Architects to oversee a sympathetic renovation, before selling to the Vickers in 2006.
"Layne and Greer did a fantastic renovation job," says Tim. "We've done a bit of redecorating and landscaping but that's all."
Image 1 of 7: Former home of pioneering timber merchant family is a historical gem
Tim says he and Charlotte both grew up in character homes, and they were captivated by the craftsmanship on display when they viewed the home.
Charlotte says: "It's been a wonderful home for us. We bought it a couple of months before our wedding and we have had our two children here so it has a lot of good memories."
On a corner site, the home is open to the north and has a grand entrance with balanced landscaping used to highlight the symmetry of the house, which has gorgeous verandas and ornate fretwork.
Inside, the double-height entrance lobby showcases dark stained floorboards, turned and carved banisters, leadlight windows, pressed tin ceilings and panels.
From here you can move though to the formal dining room, the kitchen/family room or a formal lounge. The dining room, with its high-ceiling, has a door through to the scullery and on into the kitchen for ease of entertaining.
What was the formal lounge is now mainly used by the couple's children, aged 5 and 7. This room has bay windows, leadlights and an ornately carved fire surround. A door leads out to the separate garage, which has a gym and office upstairs.
From the lobby, an arched doorway with pillars invites you into the kitchen/family room or to take the journey upstairs. The most modern part of the house, along with the bathrooms, the kitchen has dark oak cabinetry, stainless-steel appliances and a dark stone benchtop.
Off this family room is a sheltered and private loggia, warmed by heaters, that sits next to the in-ground swimming pool.
Upstairs there are four large bedrooms. The master suite, with en suite and walk-in wardrobe, opens to a north-facing veranda with wide harbour views. Another veranda was added on the western side of the house to create outdoor flow.
Charlotte says because the family has ties to an Epsom school, their children are now going there and it makes sense to move over to that side of town. She says: "It's not been an easy decision for us -- if our kids weren't going to school there, we wouldn't be selling."
