SCHOOL ZONES:
Takapuna Grammar, Belmont Intermediate, Devonport Primary.
CONTACT:
Victoria Bidwell, Bayleys, 021 947 080.
AUCTION:
Nov 24, 1.30pm.
Sometimes when looking for a home you just have to wait for the right place to come up.
Helen and Rob Service had always lived in Devonport (Helen was born there) and, like many others, had always admired the grand facade of the former hotel on King Edward Parade.
Seven years ago they pounced when one of the ground floor apartments became available.
"The building is part of Devonport's heritage, we've felt as if we were the caretakers - all the apartment owners feel that, too," says Rob.
"The exterior facades, the verandas and the ceilings in many parts of the building are protected. These places don't come on to the market very often, I think the last place after us was over three years ago. There are long gaps in turnover."
Rob and Helen have delved into the history of the brick building, built in 1914 as a replacement for the earlier wooden building that was destroyed by fire in 1910 (along with a number of neighbours - it must have been quite a blaze).
Their two-bedroom apartment was originally the formal dining room and ballroom, explaining the ornate plaster ceilings, four metre studs and grand proportions of windows and french doors.
The building's history is intertwined with Devonport's naval status, as it was requisitioned during World War II as a home for the Navy Wrens, being bought by the Department of Defence in 1944.
Until it was sold in 1993, it remained as women's accommodation, with remarkably little damage to the original fabric.
Image 1 of 10: 5A King Edward Parade, Devonport. Photograph/Fiona Goodall/Getty Images.
Farsighted developers converted the sprawling Edwardian building into apartments in 1998 to a quality that has required very little updating.
The Service's apartment opens on to the verandah facing the sea (all the apartments share the entry terrace, but retain ownership of their own outdoor spaces), with a charming front door leading into the two grand reception rooms, each opening to the sheltered spot.
The original ballroom fireplace has been updated, as have light fittings, but ceilings, doors and much of the joinery is original, some doors have been repurposed from the hotel rooms in other parts of the building.
The kitchen takes up one corner of the dining room, updated recently with stainless steel appliances.
The Services added central heating and a heat pump. Rob says the whole apartment heats up in minutes, and the solid brick keeps a pleasant temperature year round.
The family accommodation is along the back of the apartment, both double bedrooms have plenty of closet space and pop out bay windows that give each room a framed sliver of sea views.
The garage, along a side mews, has room "for a ton of storage" for the required Devonport toys - kayaks and bikes.
The Services plan to move to something slightly smaller, but still in their favourite neighbourhood.
